Seven Hills Magazine, Fall 2009

Seven Hills The Seven Hills School Magazine Fall 2009

Science at Seven Hills

From the Joy of Wonder to Experimentation and Analysis

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Seven Hills Vol. XXXIII No. 2

Fall 2009

Editor/Designer Kathy Deubell Director of Development Gary Monnier Director of Admission Peter Egan Director of Alumni Relations Nancy McCormick Bassett ’83 Head of School Christopher Garten Seven Hills is a quarterly publication of The Seven Hills School. It is produced using the school’s digital publishing equipment.

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Celebrating the Spirit of Seven Hills

By Chris Garten, Head of School

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Learning at The Seven Hills School: Our Twenty-First Century Competitive Advantage

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Science at Seven Hills: From the Joy of Wonder to Experimentation and Analysis

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School Notes

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Chris Garten Installed as Head of The Seven Hills School

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Varsity Sports

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Annual Giving Has A LOT To Be Thankful for This Year!

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Lectures for Life with Gretchen Peters ’87

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Curtis Sittenfeld ’93 is ’09 Goodall Distinguished Alumna

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“Just Another Day” at Emmy-Winning 30 Rock

By Brit Cowan ’03

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Alumna Profile: Mary Ann McIlwain Dodson H ’49

By Susanna Max, Acting Director of Marketing/Campaign Officer

37 The Seven Hills School 5400 Red Bank Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45227-1198 513-271-9027 E-mail: alumni.news@7hills.org Fax: 513-271-2471 Website: www.7hills.org

Parents of Alumni: If this issue of Seven Hills is mailed to an alumnus/a who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please update your child’s records by notifying Cheryl Brown at 513-272-5365 or cheryl. brown@7hills.org.

Pictured on the front cover are junior Lauren Truncellito, senior Josh Wang, and junior Meredith Collette in AP Biology; and kindergartner Collin Chen (photo by Karen Martin).

Alumni News

Cincinnati Magazine selects Seven Hills as 1 of 5 Best High Schools for General Excellence!

The Seven Hills School has been selected by Cincinnati Magazine as one of the area’s Best High Schools, as announced in Cincinnati Magazine’s November, 2009, issue. Seven Hills is one of five area private or public schools recognized for Outstanding Achievement in the category of General Excellence. Cincinnati Magazine compared test scores, school report cards and graduation rates in order to come up with the area’s Best High Schools.

In Cincinnati Magazine’s last ranking of schools in 2007, The Seven Hills School was ranked #1 among Best Private High Schools.

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Celebrating the Spirit of Seven Hills I’ve been asked on more than a few occasions this fall what has surprised me most about Seven Hills. I’m not sure that “surprise” is the best word exactly, but certainly one of the things that has struck me anew is the extraordinary warmth of this community.

I have been blessed during my career to be part of several strong schools, but I have honestly never seen a faculty so deeply committed to fostering growth of young people. Ironically, this is most evident in ways that many people never get to see. You see it in the way teachers talk about their students in faculty meetings and departmental offices. You hear in it their sincere desire to know their students, to understand not only how they learn, but who they are. In a very real way, this faculty is a team, a highly functioning team, on which teachers learn from each other daily and guide and support each other in their efforts support our students’ growth.

You feel the same spirit of cooperation in the interactions among teachers and students. Indeed, one of the first things that struck me here is how much hugging there is at this school! (I was even hugged a few days ago by a fourth grader who was going home with the flu!) I never tire of watching the exchanges you see in the lunchroom as Middle and Upper School students stop by to greet their former teachers.

In these quick, impromptu conversations, they share their successes and their excitement about what they are doing; they exchange fond memories of former years. It is clear that Seven Hills students, no matter what their age, know that their teachers past and present are in their corner, that they are eager to celebrate their successes and to comfort them in their disappointments and challenges.

The culture of this school is just as clearly expressed in students’ exchanges with each other. Students here are extraordinarily supportive of each other. In hallways and courtyards, in student-run assemblies and in their casual exchanges throughout the day, our students are very comfortable being themselves. We saw this at Homecoming, where students in costumes and body paint, in cocktail dresses and coats and ties, supported each other in all kinds of ways; at the cross country meets, on soccer fields and tennis courts, they cheered each other and celebrated each other’s achievements.

It is clear, too, that Seven Hills is a community that lives its values. In ways that I have rarely seen even in other very strong schools, Seven Hills’ values are woven into the fabric of daily life. They are manifest in the school’s deep commitment of service learning and community outreach as well as in the daily classroom emphasis on understanding of current social, political, and environmental issues.

Clearly, at Seven Hills the purpose of education is not just to prepare students for college, but also to prepare them for meaningful lives, lives dedicated to using one’s talents in the service of others. One of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had here was listening to the second graders at Lotspeich negotiate with their teachers the rules for classroom conduct.

The stakes were very high because they were going to be laminated and posted on the wall! After a great deal of earnest debate, one student piped up with a very revealing statement: “You know, Ms. Necessary, all we really need are the Seven Hills Values; that will say it all!”

One of the ways in which this school community expresses its care for our students is by ensuring that the school’s program and curriculum stay vital and relevant. Keenly aware of the new challenges students face in an increasingly interconnected global community, this faculty has not rested on its laurels.

Indeed, this is one of the least complacent great schools I know.

Over the last several years, the faculty has sought to improve and refine the program to ensure that students are fully prepared for new realities and new challenges. The school has vastly expanded its foreign language programs, adding Chinese this current year. They have redesigned several history and English courses to give them a more global focus. The faculty has increased the classroom emphasis on authentic problem solving and critical thinking and looked for ways to exploit more fully the potential of instructional technology. Finally, over the last two years, the faculty has received extensive training in brain-based learning, focusing on how to tailor instruction to the needs of students with alternative learning styles.

This is the beginning of what will be an ongoing effort to ensure that a Seven Hills education continues to arm students with the skills they need to assume positions of leadership in an increasingly complex global community.

This fall, the Seven Hills faculty has collaborated on drafting a “portrait of a graduate,” identifying the skills and the habits of mind we are seeking to foster in our young people. The purpose of this exercise is to ensure that we are fully intentional in designing curriculum and in employing instructional techniques which best foster 21st century skills.

Because of the importance of these issues, I have drafted some further thoughts about 21st century education, which, I hope, will continue to stimulate more conversation within our learning community. You will find those observations on the next four pages.

Again, many thanks to all of you who have helped to make me feel so welcome in this community.

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Science at Seven Hills From the Joy of Wonder to Experimentation and Analysis Scientists seek that Aha! moment. The moment when a tiny part of the universe is understood—the how and why that mystify humans and ignite in scientists the endless quest for knowledge.

Those moments come every day for Seven Hills students, while examining the creatures inhabiting the gardens outside their kindergarten classrooms or observing bird behavior with a camera in the class bird garden or using sophisticated sensors and data collecting equipment in a laboratory.

The quest to understand the workings of the universe that is nurtured at Seven Hills leads many of our students to pursue advanced science studies in college and to take their place among the world’s leading scientists. The list of our graduates is filled with individuals who are making their marks in every scientific field.

For a number of these graduates, their earliest fascination with science was cultivated at Seven Hills. The science program in the lower school grades is designed to foster children’s natural sense of wonder and curiosity, to develop inquiring minds, and to encourage creative thought and active participation in the scientific method through exploration and experimentation.

It isn’t enough for those “inquiring

minds” to learn about science. Aha! moments come from doing science. This article offers only a few examples of the scientific inquiry and discovery that take place every day at Seven Hills.

“Science is everything and everywhere for kindergarten students,” said teacher Karen Martin. “Activities in Earth and Space, Life and Physical Sciences are integrated with the language and math curriculum to create excitement and curiosity about life and learning. The kindergartners’ activities include observation and recording of classroom pet activity—the children know the parts of the animals, the classification, and their needs; collecting, sorting, and classifying living and non-living things indoors and outdoors; activities to learn about the life cycle of bees, butterflies, pumpkins, oak trees; experiences using a compass, magnifying glass, bug catchers, and scales, building and experimenting with simple machines.”

Lower school units of study are enhanced by field trips and guest speakers. Teacher Bill Schmidt said, “Second graders learn how their bodies work by focusing on each system individually.

Last year parents in medical professions brought concrete examples of their specialties to our classroom for discussions on the human skeleton and the respira-

First graders used prism glasses to see outside of the visible spectrum of white light, as part of a Scientific Inquiry unit on light.

At far right, while exploring amphibians, “kindergartners studied the life cycle of the frog, learned the differences between frogs and toads and published their first class book entitled, Jump Frog Jump,” said teacher Jenny Carr. “After making frog hats, the children enjoyed jumping like a frog and measuring the distance using cut out frogs, rulers and a yardstick.”

The author of the features in this series is Editor Kathy Deubell.

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Mrs. Dawson’s fourth grade science class is doing scientific exploration with new cordless microscopes and Pupil Cams. They study the physical properties of substances used in classroom chemistry experiments under the new microscopes, while taking snapshots of the substances using the Pupil Cam.

tory, circulatory, and digestive systems.”

Teacher Regina Daily said, “Fifth grade science is exciting! The students become sailors and take a voyage into the Atlantic to conduct extensive scientific research on whales. They learn about light, sound, latitude, longitude, depth, coordinates, navigation, the parts of a ship, a whale ecosystem, and the importance of cooperation. They learn how to make three different compasses, which they will use as they navigate the ocean waters.

“The fifth graders work with bulbs, dry cells, and circuits in their quest to acquire a ‘degree’ in electronics, and will exhibit expert skill with quiz boards and the ship’s electrical systems.

Knowledge about simple and complex machines will help them accomplish any task as they navigate back to shore.

“Their explorations into the mystic world of inventors and inventions will give them the opportunity to design and develop their creative skills as they invent a unique spaghetti eating utensil, transform a wire coat hanger into a device that performs a different function or purpose, or design a way to pick up items from the floor. This skill will be critical as they determine the most effective way to use energy, or how to successfully maintain their ship.”

Samples of Alumni Experience with Seven Hills Science

First graders at California Woods Nature Preserve.

One of Daily’s former students said, “We became ‘Captains’ of a crew on our own ship. We got to do everything. It gave us an insight on how we will be on our own in the future and how we will make our own decisions, good or bad.”

“At Middle we are incorporating much more inquiry into the science courses,” said teacher Karen Glum.

“The students are involved, both collaboratively and independently, in more investigations that are authentic scientific explorations. For example, last year, in seventh grade, a student asked if everybody in the world is seeing the moon in the same way on the same night. We went with it and asked, ‘How can we figure that out?’ We contacted schools around the world and we came up with a way to diagram the moon, then compare and analyze the pictures from different locations in the world.

“We make lessons as hands-on as possible, even in areas where this would be difficult like genetics. We do a unit called monster genetics where they create baby monsters. Students each have their own parent monsters. They help the parent monsters create reproduc-

tive cells through meiosis, then students see what genetic combinations the baby monsters can inherit. We’re also incorporating a lot more technology into our classes. This year we will be using carbon dioxide and oxygen sensors in our studies of the respiratory system and plants, and a digital microscope that communicates with our computers for our study of cells.”

This year Middle School science classes have started using a clicker system, enabling teachers to assess student understanding as they progress through the material. Eighth grade teacher Judy Wiesemann said, “Educational technology expert Alan November talked about clickers when he spoke at Seven Hills and at the National Science Teachers Association Conference many of us attended. An important aspect of the clickers is that you get a response from every student, even the reticent ones, not just the three brightest who always have their hands up. So you get a sense of how the whole class is progressing.”

One of the most exciting and farreaching developments this year is in sixth grade science, where a new

A veterinary technician visited Natalie Wildfong’s fifth grade science class to demonstrate how a vet tech uses the microscope on a day to day basis. Students had the opportunity to make slides together and to view different living organisms that could affect the life of a pet.

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“I don’t think I recognized how good the math and science teachers at Seven Hills were until I got to Brown University and realized that the teachers I’d had in high school had been far better at explaining things in a way that resonated and connected with my daily life. They were able to convey complex concepts in a way that a teenager could understand and appreciate. And if their first explanation didn’t do it, they had alternative approaches to offer, either during class or after class.

They were truly committed to making sure we understood the material.”

Caroline Habbert ’00 “I cannot overestimate how influential Seven Hills’s Science program has been in my life. It was the foundation of my studies at Carnegie Mellon University and is the basis of my career. During my years at Seven Hills I grew to love Biology, Physics, and Math. And that passion lead me to study engineering and to start my career as an I/T Analyst at Johnson & Johnson.

I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2008 with a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a double major in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in Computer Science. That’s a lot of classes to take in four years! But the excellent teachers and classes at Seven Hills prepared me for college so well that it was not an issue to achieve so much in such a short time and still graduate with a high GPA. “Seven Hills is lucky to have teachers such as David Abineri and Barbara Scarr. Their love and passion for their subjects and teaching makes an incredible (and memorable) learning atmosphere. Years later I still remember take home questions from Abineri’s physics course. Coming up with the resistance equivalent of a 3D cube is easier said than done!”

Katie Menzies ’04 “I hope this brief quote captures some of how the faculty have inspired me and how grateful I am to them! Science at Seven Hills was never all about memorizing facts and definitions from textbooks.

Instead, we were constantly guided and encouraged to see the existence, utility, and beauty of science in the world around us. Each teacher took great care to nurture the ‘little scientist’ inside all of us. For instance, I remember Mr. Abineri challenging us to observe precisely how the moon appeared to grow and shrink over the course of a month and then to use that data to determine the direction of the moon’s rotation. The faculty at Seven Hills

set an unbelievably high standard for quality of instruction that I do my best to emulate in my own teaching.”

Cheryl Grood ’88 (Cheryl is Chair of the Division of Natural Sciences and Engineering and Associate Professor of Mathematics in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Swarthmore College. She has a PhD in Mathematics.)

Dr. Dave Russell and Dr. Jill Russell are popular visitors to the sixth grade science program, where their enthusiasm for the birds and the science is contagious. Above at left, Drs. Dave and Jill are pictured in the Middle School Bird Garden, where netting is strung to capture the birds safely and briefly for banding, measuring, and recording. Above at right, two class visitors during the November 5 banding were kindergartner Joshua Rising (front) and second grader Ethan Rising, an experienced bird bander.

full-year curriculum on birds is woven through the science curriculum.

Through the feeders and bird cam installed in the Middle School Bird Garden last year, the students learn to identify birds and study different species. Each sixth grade student created a short iMovie about a species of bird that visits the feeders. The iMovies can be downloaded onto iPods or iPhones.

In this way one can create one’s own “eField Guide” to the feeder birds of the Middle School Bird Garden. Every two weeks the sixth graders do a 5-10 minute observation of the birds at the feeders and report the data to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website, eBird.

Seven Hills formed a partnership with two professors from Miami University and College of Mount St. Joseph, who are ornithologists. In addition to regularly Skyping with Dr. Jill Russell and Dr. Dave Russell in the field as they band birds, the sixth graders had the opportunity to watch the ornitholo-

gists band and draw blood samples from birds in the Bird Garden on November 5. Glum said, “We are very excited about this new partnership. The plan is that our work together will serve as a model that Dave and Jill can use with other schools in the area and possibly internationally—schools that we can partner with in the study of birds.”

Teacher Jennifer Licata said,“Middle School students are doing science.

They’re learning to become problem solvers. It’s about learning about a process then trying to use the process to answer a question and how that can apply to almost every situation.”

Karen Glum added, “Seventh graders are working as collaborative groups.

They’re learning about collaboration, inquiry, experimental design, graphing, tables, and data analysis, and they’re doing it mostly together.

“The fact that we have small classes here and we have kids who want to be here—that’s what makes it work. Some 10

“One of my most memorable science moments at Seven Hills is crafting a spaghetti eating tool in Mrs. Daily’s fifth grade science class at Doherty. Through inventing a tool, I was able to apply my knowledge into practice. Spaghetti eating tools were the topic of discussion with all of the fifth graders at the lunch table, after school, and within our friends groups. Each of us learned a great deal by thinking in creative ways and challenging ourselves. But most importantly, Mrs. Daily made science ‘the thing to talk about.’

“And, again in Middle School and Upper School, our science teachers continued to push us to apply our science knowledge to our everyday lives, whether it was changing our car tires with Tim Drew or learning about recycling at the Rumpke site with Mrs. Ford. Science at Seven Hills was always about applying the words in the textbooks to the real world.

“I am a senior at Tufts, majoring in Child Development and Community Health.”

Laura Hoguet ’06 “What I remember most about the science teachers at Seven Hills was their contagious energy and their passion. It was impressive, really, how they were able to get us excited about learning things that we were certainly not excited about before, simply by loving what they teach. In addition to loving the material they were teaching, they loved teaching itself. Their top priority was making themselves accessible for students to get whatever help they needed in order to succeed. Teachers so passionate and dedicated are hard to come by, yet the science department at Seven Hills is full of them.”

Julie Habbert ’08 “The quality of science teachers and classes was so great at Seven Hills Upper School that I passed out of my Physics, 1/2 of Chemistry, all of Math (and all of English) for my pre-med courses. My classmates and I learned so much in Middle School Science from Mrs. Sigman and Mrs. Gace that we could be in the Upper School’s first Honors Chemistry class. That honors class is what helped me pass into second-term College Chemistry. My classmates in college had gotten 3’s on their AP’s (I never took AP Chemistry—I took Patty Flanigan’s History of Theater instead). Mr. Abineri helped teach

The eighth grade Team Survivor Challenge What Floats Your Boat tests understanding of buoyancy and density. The team challenge is to build a boat or craft that holds the most mass before sinking.

of my grad school classmates are amazed that we can take on a project as big as the new bird program. I explained that it’s possible because we have the full support of our faculty and administrators, we have small classes, and we have all the resources that we need.”

Eighth grade physical science is an introduction to physics and chemistry.

Teacher Judy Wiesemann said, “The curriculum is laboratory based; teams of students conduct experiments rooted in the scientific method on a weekly basis.

Through open-ended, challenging questions, we aim to sharpen critical thinking and problem solving skills.”

Wiesemann’s Team Survivor Challenges are effective, creative ways to engage students in the exploration of different principles in chemistry and

physics. Students work in pre-assigned teams to meet specific challenges, like using simple machines to keep a marble in motion for exactly 20 seconds. The purpose of each event is to challenge the students to be creative, apply scientific knowledge, and work as a group to solve problems. Team Survivor Challenges for this year include Metric Mysteries, Forensic Fibers, White Powders, Egg Drop, Marble Motion Machines, and What Floats Your Boat.

Science Department Chair David Abineri said, “We have a very strong faculty that is truly committed and passionate about their subject matter.

We have teachers doing science in the field intentionally every summer to broaden what they can offer in the classroom. When you’ve got faculty like that, you’ve got a huge, huge advantage over those people who might be much more isolated and doing just what’s in the classroom.”

Examples of Seven Hills teachers who did science in the field last summer include the following: Barbara Scarr participated in the Science of Ecosystems workshop in Kauai, Hawaii; Duane Sanders was one of 24 teachers among over 160 applicants nationwide selected for research cruises as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Teacher at Sea Program; Linda Ford participated in the Connecting Humans and Nature Through Conservation Experiences training in Costa Rica; Karen Glum participated in the Conservation Science: People and Wildlife in Integrated Landscapes program in Kenya. These professional and personal enrichment opportunities are often funded by Seven Hills’ Faculty Professional Development In addition to insect artwork, theatre presentations, and stories, this year’s sixth grade Insect Day gave parents and students the opportunity to work together on experiments with termites. At left, the termite participants are very small.

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me how to teach math—in spite of my having severe, undiagnosed dyslexia in high school. I later came back and tutored Seven Hills students in maths and sciences among other subjects for six years after college.”

Laura Kaufman, MD ’88 (Laura, who has a PhD in Epidemiology, is a Family Medicine physician, Urgent Care, and an Occupational Medicine physician with Group Health Permanente/Group Health Cooperative in Tacoma, Washington.)

“Though I knew the math and science teachers I had at Seven Hills were very good, I learned in college how great they truly are.

I am currently taking Organic Chemistry at Macalester. Even though I didn’t take Chemistry more than one year in high school, I have drawn a direct link between the critical thinking skills instilled in me during my time at Seven Hills and my success in this class. I have decided to major in Cognitive and Neuroscience Studies, and I am currently volunteering in my advisor’s rat lab. I also work at Health and Wellness in health promotions, which is kind of like a peer health educator. Last summer I was a summer student at UC’s department of Psychiatry division of Bipolar Research.”

Mara Robertson ’08 “While my natural strengths do not lie in the sciences, I probably learned more about science and myself than any other subject during my time at Seven Hills. In my senior year, I decided to go out on a limb and take AP Biology with Barbara Scarr, which was probably one of my best decisions. Before the class and at many points during the class, I was frightened of some of the material since it was incredibly complicated and dense. Honestly, the class beat up my GPA, but I was learning far more from Mrs. Scarr than I ever thought was possible. Even though I knew where I was going to college before winter break, I kept working very hard in the class, because Mrs. Scarr was such an engaging teacher. When the time came for the AP exam, it was a cinch since Mrs. Scarr had prepared the class so well.

“At Tufts, I am focusing on Economic Development, so issues that came up in AP Biology are frequently discussed in my classes. For someone who is not pre-med, there are still many applications of science in the humanities. Of course, any true active citizen should know enough about science so they can make reasonable informed decisions about their own health. When I was in Nicaragua this past March, my group visited a rural health clinic and I was able to understand many of the technical terms in Spanish as a result of both AP Biology and a solid Spanish education at Seven Hills.”

Seth Rau ’08

Fund or the Miriam Titcomb Fund.

Abineri set a strong example of personal pursuit of knowledge when he built an electric car last year—a feat that drew international attention. He said, “This shows the kids what can be done with a little physics.

“Activities outside the classroom play a huge role in science,” he continued.

“Middle School has Roots and Shoots Club and the Upper School has Science Club and Robotics Club, to name just a few,” in addition to recycling, environmental, and outdoor programs in all of Seven Hills divisions. “In Robotics Club, we start with Lego robots, then we say, ‘Let’s throw the Lego away. Let’s build one from scratch. Let’s see how it all really works. How do you get the electricity to do what you want it to do?’

“We have superb facilities and they are well supplied with much of the latest technology. We have all sorts of sensors that we’re using constantly that didn’t even exist 10 years ago.

They make it easier to obtain more data and more accurate data so that students may focus on the analysis of their results.

“But it’s what happens in the labs that really matters. Students are asked to think and analyze and work through a variety of problems in order to get good data. It is their chance to collaborate with each other in group problem solving and critical thinking.

“We are not trying to teach science by teaching a bunch of facts,” Abineri continued. “We are trying to get the kids to think and analyze and be skeptical and understand that when they do an experiment, they are asking nature how she behaves and they’re collecting data that says, ‘Oh, this is how Nature works!’

Is the data good enough to come up with certain conclusions about Nature, whether it’s Chemistry or Physics or Biology?

Students have to be acutely aware: is

CP Biology class

Physics Honors class

this right, is this wrong, can I make this conclusion from this data or can’t I? Lots of critical thinking and problem solving.

“The Upper School requires a year of Biology, Chemistry and Physics to graduate and these courses are offered at multiple levels including AP. All our students are able to succeed in these key basic sciences and most take electives as well. And we have very strong electives in the science department at Upper—Psychology, Anatomy and Physiology, Environmental Science— all important subjects for the nonscience majors. For kids who aren’t really into science but who want to take another year, there is opportunity.

“One of the measures of the school and program is that it’s not uncommon to hear a graduate come back and say ‘In my freshman class or my sophomore class, a lot of students were having trouble in science and they would come to me for help.’ When you hear that, you must be doing something right!”

Chemistry and Environmental Science teacher Linda Ford said, “The strength of the program for me is the scheduled lab time that allows us to have a comprehensive lab program.

An 85-minute time slot each week is so helpful in having a strong laboratory component for our courses.

“We are well supplied. Although we manage our money carefully and are considerate of all the needs in each scientific discipline, we really have an excellent supply of materials and equipment including visible spectrophotometers and a gas chromatograph. We have probes and sensors to measure an array of values—pH, pressure, turbidity, conductivity, motion, etc. Our labs/class12

rooms at Upper are spacious and inviting.

I love my classroom because it frees me to do active science every day! I have this great two-way hood to perform some eyepopping demos safely and dramatically.”

Ford shared examples of class activities: “AP Chem performs 24 college-level experiments to prepare for the May AP exam. The excellent ventilation system in my classroom allows us to do some sophisticated chemical reactions safely.

Honors Chemistry will perform over 30 different experiments, as well as two lab-based projects. In Environmental Science, we do woodland restoration and reforestation on the school grounds. At the end of the water quality unit, we have a five-hour voyage on the Ohio River to assess the quality of the water. We take two other field trips to Rumpke Recycling Center and Cincinnati Water Works.”

She continued, “It is fun to have graduates tell me how they are tutoring their college peers in chemistry and helping to set the curve in their chem courses. These are talented young people who took full advantage of the academic program available at Seven Hills.”

Teacher Barbara Scarr said, “Teaching Biology is about the opening up of endless possibilities and passions. It is about stopping to think about what is going on around us and our role in this world. It is about becoming an informed, well-rounded, thoughtful and excited person who can differentiate between what is fact and what is just folklore or opinion. It is about making the student believe that they can be good at science, that the grade is not always the goal that we should be striving for, and that they can make a difference.”

School Notes 22% Named National Merit Semifinalists—Highest Percentage in City

(Front) Samantha Bergman, Kathleen Mathieu, Shirley Yan, Sara Schonfeld, Sarah Kloepper, Ainsley McWilliams, Danny Korn; (middle) Elizabeth Verchoor, Nancy Cohen, Josh Wang, Hope Brown, Brandon Williams, Walker Schiff, Josh Tiao, Michael Bi; (back) Quinn Schweier, Aaron Ransohoff-Englert, Gilbert Pasquale, Bryan Romaine, Josh Dunaway, Corey Williams, Britt Cyr, Daniel Yu, and Robby Woodworth. Not pictured is Emilio Fernandez.

Seniors who were named as National Merit Commended students are Samantha Bergman, Nancy Cohen, Emilio Fernandez, Gilbert Pasquale, and Elizabeth Verschoor.

In the National Hispanic Recognition Program, Kathleen Mathieu was named a Scholar, and Emilio Fernandez received Honorable Mention.

In the National Achievement Scholarship Program, seniors Hope Brown, Brandon Williams, and Corey Williams were named Outstanding Participants.

Students qualify for recognition in the National Merit, National Achievement, and National Hispanic Scholarship Programs with their scores on the PSAT/NMSQT®.

Seventeen Seven Hills seniors or 22% of the class qualified as semifinalists in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program. This is the highest percentage of semifinalists among Greater Cincinnati schools. In addition to the 17 semifinalists, five seniors were named National Merit Commended students, bringing the percentage of the class to receive National Merit recognition to 28%.

National Merit semifinalists are Michael Bi, Britt Cyr, Josh Dunaway, Sarah Kloepper, Danny Korn, Ainsley McWilliams, Aaron Ransohoff-Englert, Bryan Romaine, Walker Schiff, Sara Schonfeld, Quinn Schweier, Josh Tiao, Josh Wang, Henry Warrington, Robby Woodworth, Shirley Yan, and Daniel Yu.

60 Seniors, 2009 Graduates Named AP Scholars inson, Mimi Weber, Steven Young.

AP Scholars with Honor (grades of 3 or higher on 4 or more AP’s and average grades of 3.25 on all AP exams taken)— seniors Madeline Elkus, Adam Jatho, Sarah Kloepper, Kohki Nakafuku, Kyle Neu, Aaron Ransohoff-Englert, Chessie Scheiber, Quinn Schweier, Josh Tiao, Shirley Yan; and ’09 graduates Neel Bekal, Olivia Carey, Peter Chomczynski, Abbey Gauger, Louise Head, Sean McKibben, Brian McNamara, Erin Molloy, Kennon Ulicny.

AP Scholars (grades of 3 or higher on at least 3 AP exams)—seniors Hope Brown, Nancy Cohen, Joshua Dunaway, Alex Hill, Erin Kelly, Kathleen Mathieu, Gilbert Pasquale, Justin Rau, Diya SenGupta, Lloyd Ulicny,

On the 272 AP exams in 20 different subject areas taken in May by 138 Seven Hills students, 89% of the scores earned were 3’s or better (5 being the highest), qualifying our students for advanced standing in college.

The College Board announced the following: AP Scholars with Distinction (grades of 3 or higher on 5 or more AP’s and average grades of 3.5 on all AP exams taken)—seniors Britt Cyr, Lena Geissler, Danny Korn, Ainsley McWilliams, Bryan Romaine, Sara Schonfeld, Joshua Wang, Henry Warrington; and 2009 graduates Jamee Bender, Billy Braff, Alyssa Dunn, David Karp, Elliana Kirsh, Julie Koenig, David Leonard, Peter Mannion, Zachary Nacev, Sondra Polonsky, Sarah Rabourn, Andrea Ray, Megan Rob13

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OHSAA Sportsmanship Award for Third Consecutive Year Members of Seven Hills’ Sportsmanship Committee are, from left, sophomore Hillary Goldsmith, senior Heidi Garrett, freshman T.J. Robinson, Director of Physical Education Brian Phelps, Athletic Director Dick Snyder, junior Julianne Bain, and Head of Upper School Nick Francis.

For the third consecutive year, Seven Hills has been selected as a recipient of the Harold A. Meyer Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award, presented annually by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Seven Hills is among eight Cincinnati schools and 67 Ohio schools to receive the award, which is presented to schools that demonstrate their completion of an eightpart program that promotes sportsmanship, ethics and integrity in their schools and communities.

Athletic Director Dick Snyder said, “We are honored to be recognized for our efforts in the area of sportsmanship, which is a priority and an ongoing process at Seven Hills. I am especially grateful to Director of Physical Education Brian Phelps and Athletic Administrative Assistant Barb Frey for all of their work

gathering and submitting the materials for our application.”

Head of Seven Hills Upper School Nick Francis said, “Good sportsmanship is the number one priority for our athletic program. We emphasize high standards of behavior for student-athletes, coaches, parents, and any other fans, and that standard may be higher than the norm in our society. So, it is gratifying to be recognized by the state and we are honored to receive this award for the third year in a row. We also expect our student-athletes to strive for excellent results in their sporting contests, highlighting our belief that a competitive approach can coexist with good sportsmanship. Credit for this award should go to the whole Seven Hills community and especially Athletic Director Dick Snyder.”

AP Scholars Continued from page 13

The Seven Hills Buzz Debuts Online

Elizabeth Verschoor, Luke Wulsin, Daniel Yu; and ’09 graduates Amber Al-Abed, John Himes, Kevin McGraw, Emma Sheer, Doug Wulsin.

The national 2009 AP grade distributions are not yet available. The average national AP score in 2008 was 2.85. As a school, Seven Hills’ average AP grade on the May 2009 testing was 4.16 out of 5.

The Seven Hills Buzz is the new online bi-weekly bulletin which is emailed to current school families and posted on the Seven Hills website (www.7hills.org>News). The Seven Hills Buzz is part of our effort to provide our school community with timely news of student honors and glimpses of the exciting things that are taking place in all of our divisions.

Gracing a wall in the Upper School: Le Pareti Ingannevoli, La Villa Di Livia E Pitture Di Giaardino, Fragments from the Garden Mural from the Villa of Livia at Primaporta, Italy. Inspired by remnants of a Roman wall painting in Pompeii, three members of Diane Kruer’s Painting class each

chose a section to create from recycled wood, newspaper and acrylic paint. Artists Mary Bailey, Lilly Fried, and Ainsley McWilliams are pictured with their respective artwork.

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Second Seven Hills Chess Expo

October 9 was a great day for chess at Seven Hills (coinciding with National Chess Day)!

Organized by teacher John Rising, the second Seven Hills Chess Expo included Chess Simuls with Grandmaster Gregory Kaidanov (pictured) for Seven Hills students during the day and for area K-12 members of the Cincinnati Scholastic Chess Series at night, plus chess seminars for area players.

Seven Hills hosted the first tournament in the Cincinnati Scholastic Chess Series on October 10.

Above, sophomore Alex Markovits, one of the top-ranked chess players in Ohio, joined the Simul.

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Chris Garten Installed as Head of The Seven Hills School Christopher P. Garten was officially installed as Head of The Seven Hills School on October 8. The program included remarks by Board of Trustees Chair Jane Garvey, English Department Head Sandra Smythe, representing the faculty, and four students who spoke on what Seven Hills means to them, as well as a performance by the Upper School Chorus.

Doherty fifth grader Max White told the guests, in part, “Seven Hills is important to me because it gives me a great education that I can use in the future.

In fifth grade Social Justice, we learn how not to judge people by race, gender, sexual identity, ethnicity, class, socioeconomic status, religion, or ability. ...

Doherty School does community service projects like Share a Sandwich. This provides meals for hundreds of people in need. Whether it is academic or extracurricular activities, Seven Hills keeps the learning experience enjoyable.”

Lotspeich fifth grader Nina Lubeck said, in part, “I want to welcome Mr. Garten to Seven Hills and I hope he enjoys his time here just like I do. I have had some great experiences here at Lotspeich. ... I love how all of the lower grades, one through five, look forward to the experiences in the upcoming years.

Also, that the school days offer exciting ways to learn and fun experiences with the teachers. ...

“The Seven Hills Values tie into all of this like thread on a loom. They lead us, set up a base for us to build from, and establish things that other schools don’t have. That’s why I love Seven Hills, and it is such a great school.”

Eighth grader Andrew Ligeralde said, in part, “There are so many things that make Seven Hills a great school that it is hard to decide on any one particular

Max White, Sheva Serota, Chris Garten, Andrew Ligeralde, Nina Lubeck.

aspect. Perhaps Seven Hills is special because of the quality of the teaching... the small classes...the great facilities. I think it is special because we are the only school I know with a two-week spring break.

“To many students, school is an obligation, but Seven Hills makes school a privilege. Seven Hills is one of the few schools that can make you feel at home.

During my nine years here, I not only developed my academic skills, I also developed relationships with teachers that don’t usually exist in most schools. ...

The teachers love what they teach, so naturally, students love what they learn.

“As you can see, Seven Hills isn’t your average school. I have made some of my best friends here and we’ve shared memories that will last a lifetime.”

Senior Sheva Serota said, in part, “When I was just shy of three years old, I became a part of the Seven Hills community as a hopeful toddler who was anxious to meet new friends. Now, over 14 years later, I, as a senior, am prepared to go

At the reception following the Installation, Christine Garten, Chris Garten, Sudie Ernst Geier H ’41 and Helen Chatfield Black H ’41.

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out into the almost-real world of college thanks to the continuous support of the tightly-knit community that I have found exists at this school. ...

“Looking back on the past 14 years of my life, I automatically think of Seven Hills—my school and my second home.

My time at this school has been spent year-round since I was not even three years old, from attending school and camp to working at camp, and I know that I have not been wasting any of that time.

Every moment I spend here is always rich in meaning, whether teaching me a lesson or expanding my wisdom as a student and as a person.

“I couldn’t be happier that I grew up surrounded by such a close and supportive community—I will always look back on my time at Seven Hills as some of the best years of my life, and I will strive to visit often and contribute to the school long after graduation.

“I think, in the end, I can choose a single word to sum up what Seven Hills means to me: support. I know that no matter what happens, no matter what I am struggling with, I have the Seven Hills community to fall back on, and I trust it to catch me when I fall.”

New Seven Hills Head of School Chris Garten told the guests at his installation, in part, “Those of you who you know me even a little understand how eager I was to have all this made over me! In all honesty, I’ve been nervous about this for weeks, but, earlier today, Carolyn Fox shared with me a statement from one of the fourth graders that put all this into proper perspective for me: “Oh, Mr. Garten, is having an installation; we had one of those at my house for our new

Board Chair Jane Garvey with Dr. Robert Macrae, Head of Cincinnati Country

furnace.” So, while I am embarrassed about all this, I am, at the same time, deeply grateful for this welcome, which is but the latest expression of hospitality of this community…

“I would be remiss on this occasion if I didn’t recognize a few people who have been especially generous in helping with our transition to this community. First, to Jim Schiff, former chairman of the Board of Trustees, for all he has done to help Christine and me feel welcome in this community. Jim is the principal reason Christine and I chose to come to Cincinnati; when we met last fall he described (and represented) this community in such compelling terms that we really had no choice but to make the leap! His advice and guidance and his unflagging personal support continue to be invaluable. Jane Garvey, the current Board chair, has already become an active and trusted partner and has given countless hours to help me think through the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead of us. Indeed, Seven Hills is blessed with a strong and thoughtful Board who gives unstinting support and dedication to this school.

“I’m grateful to Sarah Steinman and Susan Marrs, who as Chairs of the Transition Committee, have worked so tirelessly to help me to understand the culture of this school. I’m grateful, too, to Peter and Charlin Briggs, Tory and John Parlin, Paul and Betsy Sittenfeld, and Lee and Shannon Carter for your willingness to share with me your institutional memory, to open doors, and to help me build relationships in this community. Finally, I’d like to recognize my father who travelled a long way to be here tonight. During his 40-year career in independent schools, he has modeled for me a life of servant leadership and helped me feel the fulfillment to a life devoted to the growth of young people.

“I thank you all for coming out on a school night, and I look forward to the chance to get to know you better in the coming year.”

Welcome from the Seven Hills Faculty

By Sandra Smythe, English Department Chair On those peaceful occasions when this Faculty can agree, they would, I think, be proud to assert that Seven Hills is a community of scholars.

But how to welcome to that community—appropriately—a new Head, whose own impressive scholarship we have known about since we first encountered his resume. The innocent hearts of the English Department were made glad when they discovered that he had majored in comparative literature. And we were charmed to find out that his area of concentration had been medieval studies.

But degrees and concentrations alone do not a scholar make. Scholarship is a habit of mind. And I’m happy to report that now that he has been on campus since June, now that we know more about Chris Garten, we have observed those critical habits of mind that denote a scholar. Here’s what we know.

He inquires. He investigates—carefully, methodically, patiently. He listens. He observes. He talks about ideas with all of us. He apparently likes mixing it up with faculty in all disciplines, and colleagues report that he can hold his own handily in all departments, all divisions. He offers good ideas. He considers the good ideas of others. He runs his own ideas past all of us, and he modifies his thinking to take account of the comments he receives. He is realistic. He seems genuinely to be an empiricist.

He is everywhere on both campuses—listening, comfortably a part of meetings and classes, often an interested participant in a class discussion. Clearly, he values ideas and thinks seriously about how students encounter them and process them.

Clearly, he cares about how we equip our students to enter the ever-expanding and challenging world of the 21st century.

His care for scholarship here at Seven Hills cheers us because, on a daily basis, scholarship is what fires our passions; scholarship is what is closest to our hearts.

We are in the business of making well-rounded scholars of our students, and we are proud of their scholarly habits of mind. They go to college, and they do us— and their parents—proud.

So, pleased as we are to have Chris here, how to welcome him properly? Well.

In the spirit of medieval scholarship, and if this were—say—1340 or so, we probably would have conducted him up the Ohio in a fleet of barges “freshly furnished with baners and Stremers of Silk richly besene.” On land we would have mounted him on a beautifully comparisoned horse with bells on its bridle or escorted him to Founder’s Hall at a stately pace under an embroidered canopy, accompanied by jongleurs and acrobats with lutes and tambourines.

Alas, the year is 2009. And this is Cincinnati. And so we must ask him to take our intent for the deed. I am proud to have been asked to welcome on behalf of the Faculty this man who, after just a few months, we can now attest, is a fine, kind, scholarly and distinguished leader to this community of scholars. We would shower him with golden leaves—if we had any—but as it is, I will simply ask my colleagues to raise their placards.

The Faculty welcome him warmly, and in our best medieval Latin, we say Vivat Christopherus.

Transition Committee Chairs Sarah Steinman, Susan Marrs.

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Still Time To Make Your Gift Before Year-End! It has been an incredibly busy fall season here at school, and you may have overlooked that important annual gift to Seven Hills.

If you are someone who likes to complete your charitable giving by calendar year-end, here are some options for your consideration: First, for Annual Giving, we are fortunate to have several attractive challenge opportunities for current parents: s )F THIS IS YOUR lRST YEAR AT 3EVEN (ILLS THE "ENEDICT Foundation will contribute in response to any gift to Annual Giving from a new family. s !MONG ,OTSPEICH PARENTS A CHALLENGE EXISTS FOR any new gift or for one that is incrementally larger than last year. The incremental increases will be dedicated to assisting with the reconstruction of our Lotspeich playground apparatus along with the dollars from our challenge initiator. See article below.

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For more information on any of the above, please contact Gary Monnier, Director of Development, at 513-272-5355 or gary.monnier@7hills.org.

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s 2EALIZING THAT THE PAST YEAR HAS INmICTED SOME BITTER financial hardships on many families, the Board of Trustees has increased its aggregate commitments by $25,000 to be used as a challenge pool for any parents who were unable to give last year, but can do so this year.

For those who are age 70½ or older, you can still “cash in” on the opportunity to use IRA funds for charitable purposes.

You can direct up to $100,000 to The Seven Hills School— either to satisfy an existing pledge or to make a special gift for any purpose. The only requirement is that funds be transferred directly to Seven Hills by the manager of your IRA account.

This has proven to be an especially popular plan for Reunion giving by those beyond their 50th reunion year. Note: the legislation that make this giving option possible is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2009.

Finally, this may be the time for you to consider a gift to Seven Hills that also pays you. If your circumstances are such that you hold securities that are both appreciated and pay little or no dividend, perhaps the best thing you can do with them is to transfer them into an instrument that guarantees a robust lifetime income stream for you. These plans also provide handsome tax advantages for the donor(s). Consult our website: www.7hills.org/plannedgiving for details on charitable gift annuities and remainder trusts.

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New “Big Toy” Apparatus on the Way! 300 400

Plans are underway to replace the Lotspeich playground apparatus (aka “Big Toy”) as early as April—in time for our return from Spring Break!

The project itself has been jumpstarted by a very generous commitment from a donor who believes strongly not just in the replacement of our aging play structure, but in the health and enjoyment of our youngest students.

Lotspeich parents are, in turn, being asked to consider incremental increases to their 2008-09 annual gifts—with the increments being matched on a 2-for-1 basis by our benefactor—all of which will be dedicated to our new Big Toy. representation of what our apparatus will look like. Both space and dollars available Our goal is to generate $30,000 in new will determine the “bells and whistles” we can include in our project. gifts and increases, thereby fulfilling the Watch here and around school for updates on our progress and for the Grand challenge before us for a gift of $60,000 Opening of the new “Big Toy”! from our benefactor!

Please call the Development Office (513-272-5340) or respond as generously as you are able when contacted Correction to Annual Report by a parent volunteer about your gift to support this exciting opportunity.

In the 2008-09 Annual Report, Michelle Alexander’s name was inadvertently left Pictured here is a rendering of a off the The Seven Hills School leadership list as Director of Diversity. We apoloproposed new “Big Toy.” It must be gize for the error. noted that the rendering is simply a SEVEN HILLS SCHOOL 500 600

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CINCINNATI, OHIO

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9/8/2009

Gamble Faculty Chair Awarded to Wynne Curry The Seven Hills School has awarded one of the school’s highest faculty honors, the David G. Gamble Faculty Chair, to Wynne Curry in recognition of the excellence of her teaching. A member of the Class of Hillsdale 1971, Wynne Curry is in her twenty-fourth year of teaching French at Seven Hills, where she also serves as Chair of the Foreign Language Department and one of three college counselors.

Head of School Christopher Garten said, “When I ask alumni to share their stories of Seven Hills, they keep returning to the same theme: someone at Seven Hills had taken an interest in them, inspired them, and changed the course of their lives. Often that person was Wynne Curry. Wynne is the Chair of the Foreign Language Department, and in that role she has fostered a dramatic diversification of the school’s foreign language offerings, including most recently, the introduction of Mandarin Chinese. This ongoing initiative has been a major part of the school’s effort to prepare our students to play an active role in the global community.

“As one of the school’s expert college counselors, she is a faithful and compassionate listener who, in her caring, proactive way, has helped hundreds of students think through who they want to be and where they can get the training that best prepares them to live their dreams. A gifted counselor, an inspirational teacher, a valued colleague and trusted friend, Wynne Curry is a most deserving recipient of the Gamble Faculty Chair for excellence in teaching.”

The endowed David G. Gamble Faculty Chair was established by the family of David G. Gamble at Seven Hills in 1984 to recognize “a distinguished teacher.” In addition to the honor, the Gamble Faculty Chair carries with it special financial awards to the recipient, as well as a Seven Hills arm chair symbolic of the honor. Previous recipients of the Gamble Faculty Chair are current and former teachers Tom Betts, Judy Arnold, Linda Wolfe, Sally Stirsman, Phyllis Cartwright, Sandra Smythe, Mary Inkrot-Schroder, and Marilyn Braun.

The following is an excerpt from Wynne Curry’s remarks to her colleagues at the opening faculty meeting: “At one point earlier in the summer I was driving somewhere and wondering about what I was going to talk about today. I happened to be listening to Talk of the Nation, when Neal Conan was interviewing Alain de Botton, a writer/philosopher who had just finished writing a book about the modern day workplace and what it is that makes people satisfied and fulfilled or unhappy in their work. de Botton, with his very French name and a very British accent, spoke eloquently about a variety of jobs ranging from engineering to tuna fishing to calculating statistics.

“It is certainly true that in the modern workplace, many people feel alienated, unhappy and unsatisfied with the work they’re doing, and according to de Botton, much of their unhappiness comes from a loss of meaning in what they do from day to day. The more removed people are from the effects of their jobs and the tasks they perform every day, the greater the sense of alienation, drift and despair. Neal Conan, the show’s host, asked listeners to reflect on what it is that makes their jobs meaningful and worthwhile and on that note, I began thinking about life at Seven Hills.

“Teaching is a profession filled with promise, meaning and challenges, and teaching at this school is always a journey and an adventure and a roller coaster ride.

“Every day when we walk into our classrooms, no matter what it is we are teaching, we see those young faces and are reminded of the incredible responsibilities facing us. We are charged with teaching our students skills and content, as well as character and moral development.

“The standards for all of us here are incredibly high, and I’m often reminded of just how high the bar is every time I look at the enormously rich concentration of smart, dedicated, caring teachers at this school. And with those high standards come incredible rewards that are hard to quantify: the look on a student’s face when he has mastered a math problem, learned to read a sentence, figured out how to stack blocks, analyzed a poem, sculpted a small masterpiece, or translated a difficult passage. It’s often in those small and subtle moments when we are reminded of the profound and significant meaning of our profession. There are few professions that warm the heart, enrich the mind and feed the soul, and ours happens to be one of them.

“In the foreign language department, we emphasize to our students that knowing and understanding other cultures is critical to our standing as a nation in this ever-expanding global world we live in. And to really know another culture is to know its people, traditions, history, customs and language.

Continued next page

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Brodie Awards Honor Anne Yancey, David Brott Middle School English teacher Anne Yancey and Upper School math teacher David Brott are recipients of Brodie Grants for Excellence in Teaching from the Brodie Family Faculty Betterment Fund. The Brodie Fund is an endowed fund which provides professional development opportunities for faculty and which recognizes outstanding teachers at both early and later stages of their careers.

Middle School Head Ted Rockwell said, “Anne Yancey’s calm, reassuring and compassionate voice can fool her students. She is no pushover. She has high academic and ethical standards. Her students know where she stands and don’t want to disappoint her. Whether it is grappling with the language or the issues of Where the Red Fern Grows, Anne leads her students to understanding. How Anne

accomplishes this can seem somewhat magical, but it always happens so it is not questioned. She also works her magic on her colleagues, always being there with a helping hand, a kind word. Every school needs teachers like Anne Yancey.

Seven Hills is fortunate to have her.”

Upper School Head Nick Francis said, “David Brott is a much-loved member of the faculty. His colleagues and his students appreciate his positive energy, excellent teaching, and friendly personality. David’s contributions to life at Seven Hills cover all aspects of the community. He is a superb math teacher, lead advisor to the ninth grade, CoDirector of the Personal Challenge program, faculty dodgeball player, sustainability activist, expert at Halloween costumes, chess tournament supervisor, and frequent chaperone. I could continue, but suffice to say, he is integral to the success of the students and is very much appreciated by everyone.”

Gamble Chair Continued from page 19

Our Congratulations and Appreciation to These Faculty and Staff Members Honored for Their Years at Seven Hills

“I’m often surprised when I watch American diplomats and cabinet members conduct various talks and negotiations with foreign dignitaries, invariably depending on English. Although we are a multilingual nation, the only language we offer diplomatically is English and I often wonder what the tone and content of international talks would be if Hillary Clinton—or her predecessors Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell or Madeleine Albright—were able to conduct many of their talks in Chinese, French or Spanish.

5 Years Michelle Alexander Raymond Alexander Maria Eynon Marni Greenwald Elisa MacKenzie Linda Maupin Lynn Niehaus Liz Okin Marji Platt

“In this amazing nation, we can do better than offer one language to the rest of the world, and at Seven Hills, we hope to inspire many of our students to view fluency in another language as a responsible way of connecting to a world very different from our own.

15 Years Theresa Cohen Janet Hill Melissa Khoo Sandra Shaw

“I feel incredibly fortunate to be at this school and to be the recipient of this Chair.

“Before I close, I want to recognize all of the members of the foreign language department—Rachel Herrel, John Krauss, Gretchen Carstens, Brian Sebastian, Cora Garcia, Carla Wessels, Ismael Godoy, Teresa Bardon, Peggy Lovro, Jacky Kalubi and Ann Griep—because, to be sure, if it weren’t for you all, I wouldn’t be standing here. Thank you again for this honor and I wish each and every one of you the very best in this new school year.”

10 Years David Brott Tricia Hoar Gloria Clayburn Pegi Leonard Steve Davis Malinda McReynolds Elissa Donovan Kara Meador Beth Driehaus Bill Schmidt Kitty Fischer Roger Schnirring Nick Francis Brian Sebastian Ann Griep Brian Wabler Carri Haskins Russell White 20 Years Genny Serrano Regina Daily Jacky Kalubi Rick Questa

30 Years Bobbie Staggs Lowell Wenger Joan Wolfram

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25 Years Barbara Karol Diane Kruer Ginger Rubin Ed Wiseman

35 Years Marcia Snyder Barbara VanderLaan

Books for Lunch Presents Anchee Min The Seven Hills School’s 24th Annual Books for Lunch is proud to present Anchee Min as its 2010 guest author.

The lecture luncheon and book signing will take place Wednesday, February 3, at 11:00 AM at Cintas Center at Xavier University. The Dinner with Anchee Min will take place at the Hyde Park home of Anne and Jim Shanahan on Tuesday, February 2, at 6:30 pm.

Anchee Min’s writing has been praised for its raw, sharp language and historical accuracy. Her bestselling memoir, Red Azalea, the story of her childhood in Communist China, has been compared to The Diary of Anne Frank. Min credits English with giving her a means to express herself, arming her with the voice and vocabulary to write about growing up during China’s Cultural Revolution. “There was no way for me to describe those experiences or talk about those feelings in Chinese,” she has said of a language too burdened by Maoist rhetoric. Today, she writes candidly about events she was once encouraged to bury.

ing Madame Mao, Wild Ginger, and Empress Orchid. The books attempt to rerecord histories that have been falsely written. “If my own history is recorded falsely, how about other people?” she asks. Both critics and writers have praised her work, calling it “historical fiction of the first order.”

Ticket prices for Books for Lunch are the following: Author Luncheon—$50; Luncheon Patron—$100; Author Dinner—$85; First Draft Patron (includes two Author Dinner and two Author Luncheon tickets)—$500; Luncheon Table Patron (table for 10 at the luncheon with table sign)—$650.

For reservation information, e-mail Jennifer Sauers at jen-sauers@cinci.rr.com. Reservations are requested by January 16.

Parents Sarah Johnson and Leslie Baggish are chairing the Books for Lunch 2010 Committee and the following parent volunteers are heading subcommittees: Nancy Brown, Nirvani Head, V. Ruth Klette, Edie Rau, Jennifer Sauers, Andrea Scheiber, and Beth Smith.

The New York Times has called her “a wild, passionate and fearless American writer.”

Min was taught to write “Long Live Chairman Mao!” before she was taught to write her own name. At the age of 17, Min was sent to a labor camp near East China Sea, where she discovered the truth of Mao’s calling. She worked for three years, enduring mental and physical hardships, before talent scouts spotted her toiling in a cotton field. Madame Mao, preparing to take over China, was looking for a leading actress for a propaganda film. Min was selected for having the ideal “proletarian” look. Mao died before the film was complete, and Madame Mao, blamed for the disaster of the revolution, was sentenced to death. Min was labeled a political outcast by association. She was disgraced, punished, and forced to perform menial tasks in order to reform herself. In 1984, with the help of a friend overseas, Min left China for America. She spoke no English when she arrived in Chicago, but within six months had taught herself the language in part by watching “Sesame Street” and “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.”

Since the completion of Red Azalea, Min has written four subsequent works of historical fiction: Katherine, Becom-

Our Thanks to Our Sponsors (As of November 15)

Presenting Sponsors Kevin McNamara Robert & Adele Schiff Family Foundation Best Seller Sponsors Leslie & Michael Baggish Christine & Charles Schiff Manuscript Sponsors Kim & Martin Chavez Kari & David Ellis Sarah & Mark Johnson First Draft Sponsors Jennie & Allan Berliant Nancy & Bruce Brown Sheila & Philip Cohen Tucker & Michael Coombe Lalitha Param & Param Hariharan Nirvani & Jeb Head In Memory of Marty Horwitz by Janna & Frank McWilliams Kathy & Jim Prevost Joni & Dick Quimby Edie & Allen Rau Jennifer & Len Sauers Nancy & Tom Shepherd Granite Rocks/Sarah & Steve Steinman Mary Beth & Craig Young

“Anchee’s performance—not just a reading, but performance art—was raw, moving, thought provoking and distressing, and delightfully funny.”

Special Thanks to Shiva & Freidoon Ghazi

North Suburban Library, Wheeling, IL 21

“Celebration of Our Joy in Being with Each Other” The rain stopped mid-day on October 2, making way for a great Homecoming 2009! Sponsored by the Athletic Boosters, the two-day event included pep rallies; an All-School Family Picnic; sports clinics in soccer, volleyball, golf, and cheerleading for young athletes conducted by varsity players; a spirited performance by the Seven Hills Pep Band; the Boosters concession; the Homecoming bonfire; Upper’s Homecoming Dance; Middle and Upper School soccer games, tennis and volleyball matches, and a cross country invitational.

Head of School Chris Garten said, “Let’s face it, ‘Homecoming’ is really a misnomer. This is not the occasion—though there are several of those, and they are wonderful—when our far-flung alumni return to reconnect with their past. This is a celebration of the here and now, of our joy in being with each other. I see the weekend in images: a gauntlet of cheering fans at the cross country meets, on the soccer field sidelines, festooned in body paint and costumes; an army of Lower School athletes and cheerleaders basking in the warm-hearted solicitude of their Upper School ‘coaches’; bright smiles and laughter, food and fellowship, the crackle of the bonfire, the swirl of cocktail dresses and dance music. It’s not homecoming, really, but it’s part of what makes this school community our home.

“Thanks to everyone who helped make this such a memorable weekend!”

Stinger Spirit!

Homecoming photos by Len Cohen, Mary Beth Young, and Kathy Deubell

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Join Us for Spirited Family Fun!

Boosters Lower School Spirit Night Friday, January 22

Middle School Spirit Night Friday, January 29

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All sports photography by Keith Neu

Varsity Sports

From left, Alex Hill, Heidi Garrett, Carlton Zesch, and Shannon Monnier.

BOYS VARSITY SOCCER

BOYS JUNIOR VARSITY SOCCER Record of 8-4-5.

Coaches Ted Sidor, Joe Wehrle, Assistant Coach Cooper Sawyer (’06) MVPs—Charlie Kramer, Michael Young; MIPs—Alex Ferree, Brian Collette; Coach’s Awards—Henry Head, Bryan Robinson

Coach Terry Nicholl, Assistant Coaches Scott Cagle, Ted Sidor MVP—Brandon Williams; MIP—Walker Schiff; Coach’s Awards— Jacob Johnson, Gilbert Richards All-State (Division III): Not announced by presstime All-Southwest District: Coach of the Year—Terry Nicholl; Assistant Coach of the Year—Scott Cagle; First Team—Alex Hill, Miles Hill, Ian McNamara, Brandon Williams; Second Team— Gilbert Pasquale District All-Star Senior Athletes—Alex Hill, Gilbert Pasquale, Brandon Williams All-City (Division II-III): Not announced by presstime All-League: First Team—Alex Hill, Miles Hill, Ian McNamara, Brandon Williams; Second Team—Gilbert Pasquale, Luke Wulsin; Honorable Mention—Britt Cyr, Kyle Neu MVC Scholar-Athletes—Britt Cyr, Alex Ferree, Alex Hill, Adam Jatho, Alex Markovits, Stephane Mathieu, Kyle Neu, Gilbert Pasquale, Walker Schiff, Taylor White, Luke Wulsin All-District Scholar-Athletes—Britt Cyr, Alex Ferree, Adam Jatho, Alex Markovits, Gilbert Pasquale All-State Scholar-Athletes—Britt Cyr, Adam Jatho, Gilbert Pasquale

GIRLS VARSITY VOLLEYBALL League champions for the second consecutive year! Season record of 16-6 (10-3 in the league).

Coach Linda Clark, Assistant Coaches Barry Silber, Linda Behen MVPs—Sarah Evans, Erin Kelly; MIP—Rachel White; Coach’s Award—Emily Rogers-Fightmaster All-League (Gray Division): Player of the Year—Sarah Evans; Coach of the Year—Linda Clark; First Team—Sarah Evans, Erin Kelly; Second Team—Emily Rogers-Fightmaster, Rachel White; Honorable Mention—Monica Blanco, Tory Kennedy All-City: First Team—Sarah Evans; Third Team—Erin Kelly MVC Scholar-Athletes—Hope Brown, Sarah Evans, Erin Kelly, Elizabeth Verschoor, Shirley Yan

For the first time in school history, the varsity boys soccer team made it to the state semifinals! The Stingers lost 0-1 to Worthington Christian School in the state semifinal game, finishing their outstanding season with a 19-2-1 record and league, sectional, district and regional titles!

GIRLS JUNIOR VARSITY VOLLEYBALL Record of 11-6 (9-2 in the league).

Coach Barry Silber, Assistant Coach Linda Behen MVP—Anna Gagliardo; MIPs—Katie Shen, Amanda Shepherd; Coach’s Award—Shirley Yan

Continued next page

Keith Neu

For the First Time in Seven Hills Histor y: Regional Soccer Champions 25 23 25

From left, Charlie Kramer, Adeline Sawyer, Bryan Romaine, Hillary Goldsmith, and Lauren Truncellito.

VARSITY GOLF The team had a 20-5 season record; captured the league, sectional and district titles; and finished its season with a sixth place finish in the 36-hole state tournament at Ohio State University.

Carlton Zesch finished in seventh place at state.

Coach Doug Huff MVP—Carlton Zesch; MIP—Robby Woodworth; Coach’s Award— Graeme Harten All-City: First Team—Carlton Zesch; All-City (Divs. II and III) Coach of the Year—Doug Huff All-League: Player of the Year—Carlton Zesch; Coach of the Year— Doug Huff; First Team—Dan Shi, Robby Woodworth, Carlton Zesch; Second Team—Graeme Harten, Matt Post MVC Scholar-Athletes—Graeme Harten, Robby Woodworth, Carlton Zesch JUNIOR VARSITY GOLF Players showed great improvement over last year.

Coach Ismael Godoy MVP—Alec Kagan; MIP—Daniel Griffin; Coach’s Award— Chris Baggott GIRLS VARSITY TENNIS Ranked third in the city for Division II by the Enquirer Coaches Poll, the team had an 11-6 record, won the Annual Cincinnati Tennis Club Doubles Invitational, and competed in the SW district semifinals. At the sectionals, Jordan Seibold came in first for singles; Hillary Goldsmith and Andrea Compton came in second in doubles; and Jennifer Springer and Grace He came in fourth in doubles. These five players qualified for the SW districts.

Coach Tim Drew MVP—Andrea Compton; MIP—Jennifer Springer; Coach’s Award— Allie Horwitz Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches Association (Division II): First Team—Andrea Compton, Grace He, Jennifer Springer; Honorable Mention—Hillary Goldsmith, Allie Horwitz, Priyanka Parameswaran, Jordan Seibold; GCTCA Div. II Doubles Team of the Year—Grace He and Jennifer Springer Enquirer All-City (Divs. II-IV): Not announced by presstime All-League: First Team—Grace He, Jennifer Springer; Second Team—Andrea Compton, Hillary Goldsmith; Honorable Mention—Jordan Seibold, Allie Horwitz, Priyanka Parameswaran MVC Scholar-Athletes—Haley Brunner, Andrea Compton, Lilly Fried, Allie Horwitz

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GIRLS JUNIOR VARSITY GOLD TENNIS 12-2 record. Placed in the top five in the final GCTCA Flight A tournament.

Coach Amelia Crace (’03) MVP—Maddie Shanahan; MIP—Federica Fernandez; Coach’s Award—Sharon Liao GIRLS JUNIOR VARSITY BLUE TENNIS 10-3 record with a strong showing at the final tournament and competitive play against all teams.

Coach John Rising MVP—Alex Wilt; MIP—Taylor Shannon; Coach’s Award—Amanda Meredith GIRLS VARSITY SOCCER The team had a season record of 8-7-3 which included wins over Princeton and CHCA and ties with Summit and CCD. Coach Francis said, “The players showed great spirit, the desire to step up to the next level, and good team play in passing the ball.”

Coach Nick Francis, Assistant Coach Teresa Bardon MVP—Zoë Pochobradsky; MIP—Helen Head; Coach’s Award— Kristen Prevost All-District Honorable Mention—Emily Bedell, Zoë Pochobradsky All-League: First Team—Emily Bedell, Zoë Pochobradsky; Second Team— Meredith Collette, Leah Cromer; Honorable Mention—Katie Cirulli, Sarah Kloepper MVC Scholar-Athletes—Julianne Bain, Emily Bedell, Maddie Caldemeyer, Katie Cirulli, Meredith Collette, Katie Cromer, Leah Cromer, Heidi Garrett, Lena Geissler, Helen Head, Sarah Kloepper, Sydney Larkin, Kristen Prevost, Sara Schonfeld, Celine Shirooni All-District Scholar-Athletes— Julianne Bain, Emily Bedell, Maddie Caldemeyer, Katie Cirulli, Katie Cromer, Leah Cromer, Heidi Garrett, Helen Head, Sarah Kloepper, Sydney Larkin, Kristen Prevost, Sara Schonfeld All-State Scholar-Athletes—Heidi Garrett, Sarah Kloepper, Sara Schonfeld GIRLS JUNIOR VARSITY SOCCER Record of 7-6-3.

Coach Amy Ilg, Assistant Coach Erich Schweikher MVP—Adeline Sawyer; MIPs—Ellen Coombe, Sara Johnson; Coach’s Award—Madeleine Rogers

Some of the award winners in the varsity fall sports season.

VARSITY BOYS CROSS COUNTRY The team placed fourth at the MVC Meet and sixth at districts.

Alex Ferree qualified at the district meet to run at regionals.

Coach Tana Luckie MVRs—Alex Ferree, Ari Kirsh; MIR—Aaron Markiewitz; Coach’s Award—Paddack Bahlman

VARSITY GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY Sarah Austin qualified at the district meet to run at regionals.

Coach Tana Luckie MVRs—Sarah Austin, Lauren Truncellito; Coach’s Award—Anne Stuart Bell

SW Ohio Cross Country Coaches Association Honorable Mention—Sarah Austin All-District All-Star—Sarah Austin All-Region All-Star—Sarah Austin

All-District All-Star—Alex Ferree All-Region All-Star—Alex Ferree

All-League: First Team—Alex Ferree; Second Team—Paddack Bahlman, Ari Kirsh MVC Scholar-Athletes—Alex Ferree, Ari Kirsh, Kohki Nakafuku, Bryan Romaine, Quinn Schweier

All-League: First Team—Sarah Austin; Second Team—Lauren Truncellito MVC Scholar-Athletes—Sarah Austin, Lauren Truncellito

All sports photography by Keith Neu

Middle School Sports

Middle School cross country, coached by Andy McGarvey, had an outstanding year! The girls team was the 2009 MVC champion, and the girls placed second at the Seven Hills Invitational and third at the Middletown Christian Invitational.

Individually, Emma Uible was MVC Runner of the Year, placing first at the MVC Tournament, and Emma Uible, Montana Reilly, and Grace Cawdrey were named to the All-League

From left, Emma Uible (front), Lauren Weems, Tucker Robinson.

First Team. At the All-City Championships, Emma placed first overall in the eighth grade girls race, and she placed first in nine of 11 races this year!

The boys cross country team was 2009 MVC RunnerUp. At the All-City Championships, Andrew Wilson was ninth overall in the seventh grade boys race (small school division), and Jules Baretta and Andrew Wilson were named to the All27

From left, Andrew Wilson, Jules Baretta; Liza Randman; Jessica Seibold.

League First Team.

The Middle School boys soccer team finished the season with an overall record of 10-4-4. The Stingers finished second place in the MVC with a record of 5-2 vs league opponents. The team outscored their opponents 30 to 15 for the season. “Scoring leaders for the 2009 team were Jared Nelson, Andrew Besl, and Joshua Weaver,” said Middle School Athletic Director Roger Schnirring. “The following players also contributed at least two goals for the year: Tucker Robinson, Andrew Head, Carl Compton, and George Karamanoukian.

The 2009 Defense was anchored by eighth grade leadership with Jeff Maggio, Louis Goldsmith, and Armand Ghazi leading the way. Ike Lanier also played a key role in the defense and also contributed as one of the six seventh graders that were regular starters.” The Stingers were coached by Mike Heis, Mike Schnirring, and Bob Zepf.

“A young and relatively inexperienced Middle School girls soccer team got off to a tough start, but showed great improvement as the year went along,” said Coach Sally Leyman, who was assisted by Leslie Andrews. “CHCA beat us 4-2 at our first meeting, Seven Hills returned the favor 5-0 on the seond meeting. Clark Montesori beat us 5-0 in the first contest, but on our field we tied them 3-3. Cinti Country Day beat us 2-0 at our own Homecoming, but we got them 4-0 on their field. The highlight of the year was the improvement shown against Cincinnati Christian with a 2-0 loss in the first game,

Boosters’ Fall Spirit Night!

then a 1-1 in the next. Cincinnati Christian had the #3 seed in the season-ending tournament and Seven Hills had the #7 seed. Seven Hills knocked Cincinnati Christian out of the tournament. A great way to end the season, before the rains washed out the rest of the weekend.”

“The Middle School volleyball team had a great season, finishing with a 7-5 record,” said Coach Gretchen Carstens, who was assisted by Keri Betts (’05). “The season highlight was an upset victory over CHCA to advance to the semifinals of the MVC Tournament. All of the girls worked hard, improved, and were great representatives of Seven Hills’ values and sportsmanship.”

The Middle School golf team had a very successful season under Head Coach Cary Daniel and totaled 8 wins on the season. Victories over Clark, Walnut Hills, Madeira, and Finneytown gave the players confidence as they prepared for the end of season MVC Tournament. The team took third place at the tournament and Connor Rouan led the stingers with an average golf score of 36 on the season.

“The Middle School girls tennis team had a 4-8 record,” said Coach Sue Bone, who was assisted by Judy Wiesemann. “We played very competitive matches, and the girls learned a lot. Several teams went to the semifinal round of the tournament, and we finished in fourth place. Mason Duncan and Jessica Seibold were super captains. Mason was undefeated, and Jess was 8-1 at number one singles.”

Athletes in grades 1–6, families, and fans had a great time at the Boosters’ Fall Spirit Night, when SAY soccer athletes were recognized during the boys and girls varsity games (both of which the Stingers won).

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Annual Giving Has A LOT To Be Thankful for This Year!

A $50,000 Matching Gift Challenge for the Senior Parent Gift

An anonymous local foundation has stepped forward in support of the Class of 2010 Endowment for Global Studies.

The foundation has offered $50,000 to match all Senior Parent gifts!

A 2:1 Matching Grant to support the Lotspeich Big Toy replacement

We want to replace the Big Toy! To do this, an anonymous donor has challenged Lotspeich parents to raise more money than they did last year and has put forward $60,000 to back it up. All new dollars (either increases or new donors) will be matched at a two-for-one rate! This is a very rare opportunity!

A $25,000 Matching Gift Challenge to Current Parent Non-Donors

The Board of Trustees has put forward $25,000 above and beyond what they typically give in order to encourage those families who did not participate in the 2008-09 Annual Giving Campaign to join us this year.

If you were unable to make a gift to Annual Giving last year, your gift this year is “doubly” important!

A $20,000 Match Grant to rally New Families

It is our hope to help new families better understand the critical role that Annual Giving plays here at Seven Hills.

And, as a bonus, the Benedict Foundation has agreed to match gifts from families new to Seven Hills this year!

So if this is your first year, there is no better time to begin your tradition of generosity.

YOU!

The parents, alumni, and friends of Seven Hills have stepped forward yet again to demonstrate their dedication to the school by making their commitments to Annual Giving early. To date we have raised over $654,460 towards our goal of $1.2M and we could not have done it without the extraordinary generosity of donors just like YOU! Thank you so much!

If you have not made your annual gift yet this year, it is safe, quick, and easy. We offer many different methods of contribution including cash, major credit cards, and appreciated securities. We are here to ensure your giving experience is as smooth as possible.

To make a safe and secure gift right now, go to www.7hills.org, click on Giving, then click “Donate Online.”

Questions? Call Josh Quicksall, Annual Giving Coordinator, at 513-527-1306 or by email at josh.quicksall@7hills.org.

Announcing: The Seven Hills School E-Sale Shop!

The Seven Hills School Resale Shop proudly announces an exciting new venture to raise additional income for Seven Hills.

The Seven Hills School E-Sale Shop is a receiving location for higher value donations to be sold on eBay. Selling these higher ticket items to a global market benefits the school with another source of fundraising.

Proceeds from the sales benefit the donor by providing individual gift credit to the school, as well as exact tax-deductible valuation from the donation’s net proceeds. Donors may apply such credit to any existing pledge to TSHS or to make an incremental gift. The E-Sale Shop coordinates with the Development Office to maximize the impact of gifts.

Housed on the first floor of Doherty’s Kemper Building, the E-Sale Shop is managed by Doherty parent Lynne Cowles.

Monday through Friday from 12:00 to 4:00, Lynn receives donations, requested at over $50 in value and under 50 pounds in weight. Suggested donations include sculpture, porcelain, silver, jewelry, watches, paintings, decorative objects, collections and electronics in excellent condition. With the donor’s assistance, she composes a thorough auction description, produces a professional photograph and launches the two-week auction. Once the item has sold, she handles the packing and shipping of sold merchandise.

To donate to the Seven Hills E-Sale Shop: sBring donations to the E-Sale Shop, Kemper Building, 2753 Johnstone Place, 12:00–4:00 Monday–Friday (513-221-1765). sReceive a receipt and specific auction information from Lynne Cowles in order to follow the auction on eBay. sReceive confirmation of sale for exact tax-deductible valuation and individualized gift credit.

For more information, please phone Louise Cottrell at the Resale Shop (513-271-7977) or Margo Kirstein at the Development Office (513-527-1319).

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Lectures for Life with Gretchen Peters ’87 It was an extraordinary experience to hear firsthand accounts of life in Afghanistan and Pakistan from someone who witnessed that life on a daily basis. Members of the school and wider communities shared that experience when Gretchen Peters ’87 addressed an overflowing, standing-room-only crowd in the Lotspeich Library on October 13. The Alumni Association sponsored the community lecture as part of its Lectures for Life series featuring noted alumni.

In her introduction, Assistant Head of School Susan Marrs said, “In June of 1987, Gretchen Peters graduated from Seven Hills and went off to Harvard. This January, she will begin graduate work at the University of Denver, working on a Master’s in Homeland Securities and Criminal Justice.

“In between, she has led what can only be called a wild and dangerous life as a journalist in Pakistan and Afghanistan, including a decade working for The Associated Press, as a reporter for ABC News, being nominated for an Emmy for her coverage of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, winning the South Asian Journalists’ Award for a Nightline story on former Pakistani president Musharraf, and getting married to a phenomenal photojournalist and having two children.

“Oh, yes, and she’s also written this stunning book, Seeds of Terror: How Heroin Is Bankrolling the Talban and Al

Qaeda. In information-rich, compelling prose, Gretchen takes her readers deep into troubled-filled territory. In the first few pages, she shows us a wailing, toothless woman calling down the wrath of her god onto Gretchen and crew for destroying her family’s poppy crop. A few chapters later Gretchen takes us with her when, in following the money, she literally knocks on the door of the biggest drug trafficker in South Asia and sits down with one of his henchmen over a glass of warm orange Fanta—even as she wonders whether she’ll ever again walk out of that door.

“Along the way, she shows us why U.S. policies have failed, sets out a compelling alternative plan, and urges decisionmakers to ‘start small/think large.’

“This may be the most important book any of us read this year. And it was written and lived by one of our own,” said Marrs. “We’re very proud of you, Gretchen, and can’t wait to hear what you have to tell us this evening.”

Susan Marrs, Gretchen Peters

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Gretchen with (at left) Heather Shelley McIntyre ’87, Elena Stein ’87, (at far left) Bob Heinlen ’88, and Jonathan Hawgood ’87.

Above, former Headmaster Peter Briggs, Head of School Chris Garten. At left, Gretchen with former faculty members Velma Morelli and Rachel Foster and Allen Zaring ’87.

It was wonderful to see so many of Gretchen’s classmates, friends, and former teachers in the audience.

Above, from left, former teacher Renee Lowther, English Department Chair Sandy Smythe; Joanne Lindy, Director of Alumni Relations Nancy Bassett ’83; former teacher Judith Schultz, and English teacher Kathy Richardson.

At left, Gretchen with Theater teacher Patty Flanigan, Science Department Chair David Abineri, and classmate Jonathan Hawgood.

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Curtis Sittenfeld ’93 Is 2009 Goodall Distinguished Alumna The Young Family Library was filled with family, friends, and fans— including many former Seven Hills teachers—when Seven Hills presented the 2009 Goodall Distinguished Alumna Award to Curtis Sittenfeld ’93 on October 19. The highest honor Seven Hills bestows on an alumna/us, the Goodall Award honors a graduate of Seven Hills or its predecessor schools “who has achieved distinction in a public or private career or activity bettering the lives of others.” Curtis is the author of the best-selling, critically-acclaimed novels Prep (named one of the Ten Best Books of 2005 by The New York Times), The Man of My Dreams (2007), and American Wife (chosen one of the Ten Best Books of 2008 by Time).

The following are excerpts from the talk that delighted her audience at the Goodall Award presentation.

“What I’d like to talk about tonight is the influence of Seven Hills on my life. Although my first novel, Prep, was set at a New England boarding school, and although I myself attended a New England boarding school, Seven Hills is without a doubt the school with which I had the longest and most formative affiliation. I started at Lotspeich in 1978, just after I turned three, and spent the next nine years there. In 1987, I moved to the Middle School, which as most of you know was then located on the Doherty Campus and was home only to seventh and eighth graders. During this time period from the fall of 1978 to the spring of 1989, I participated in Halloween Parades and science fairs, plays in the Red Barn, soccer games, May Fetes, and field trips to California Woods and the Cincinnati Art Museum. The overriding lesson I learned, again and again, was about what an interesting place the world and its inhabitants are.

“I have heard that when people suffer from dementia and start to have trouble remembering things, their memories are strongest in reverse order—that is, they may not be able to recall what they had for breakfast, but they can recite favorite recipes from decades earlier. I am not sure what it means that at the age of 34, I already find myself experiencing this phenomenon. I fear that the months and years of my adulthood have become a blur of readings I hardly remember giving, people I hardly remember meeting, and most of all, emails I remember neither sending nor receiving—but I still know how to count to ten in German, which I learned from Frau Meckel, and every year on September first, I still recall one of my former classmates and think to myself, ‘It’s Elizabeth Deubell’s birthday!’

“Truly, my childhood at Seven Hills remains vividly clear. I remember sitting on Mrs. Konicov’s lap, a coveted location in the Montessori classroom, as we all formed a circle and sang, and I remember standing at a sink in the same classroom and submerging plastic

funnels into soapy water—is it a coincidence that to this day, washing dishes is one of the few household chores I don’t dislike doing? I remember the day in first grade when Mrs. Vitz told us that a special visitor named Loof Lirpa was going to fly into the parking lot on his plane to see us—all day long we anticipated his arrival, and just before school let out at 3:15, Mrs. Vitz reminded us that it was April first and that Loof Lirpa was April Fool spelled backward.

“I remember Lotspeich’s Monday morning assemblies, which would conclude with all of us singing the school song, crouching as the song approached its end, and leaping into the air on the word ‘Charge!’ I remember P.E. classes with Mr. Sidor, where some days our entire class would clutch an enormous green and orange and white parachute, all of us standing around the perimeter and raising our arms to make it undulate. In fifth grade, I remember Mrs. Blocksom’s incredible enthusiasm for colonial history which culminated in the celebratory lunch I attempted to immortalize, in a modest way, in my most recent novel, American Wife.

“On a daily basis, Seven Hills fed my early imagination and creativity, and encouraged me to explore and test all my senses, whether by shaping clay into a little pink elephant with Mrs. Harbolt, by banging on a xylophone under the watchful eye of Mrs. Clajus, or by impersonating Cleopatra as part of a ‘living biography’ in sixth grade with Mrs. Flanagan and Mr. Clark. More specifically, my time at Seven Hills molded me as a reader and a writer. I certainly grew up in a reading household, and as all of you know, I’m not just speaking metaphorically when I say that I consider the people at Seven Hills to be family. But I feel that I particularly benefitted from a childhood in which an enthusiasm for books and language at home dovetailed with the same enthusiasm at school.

“One of the great pleasures of being a student at Lotspeich was that on a regular basis, there were adults who’d read aloud to you.

I loved when my class went to the library and I considered Mrs. Snyder, with her well-manicured nails and soft-looking sweaters, to be the epitome of glamour; I was fascinated watching her as she sat facing us, holding the book open so we could see the pictures and turning the pages. In third grade, Mrs. Kuhn read From the MixedUp Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler to us and taught us the word “chauffeur,” which I initially mispronounced as “shoffer.” We also made class visits to the principal’s office, where Mrs. Driscoll read to us from the strange and fascinating tale of The Twenty-One Balloons.

My classmates and I were permitted to bring dolls or stuffed animals during these visits, and this was during the heyday of the Cabbage Patch Kid so my friends were curling up with little Eugenia Arianas and Rebecca Ruby’s. My parents resisted my requests for such a doll, but I feel that I’ve had the last laugh because seven months ago I gave birth to a baby girl whom I think looks uncannily like a Cabbage Patch Kid, particularly when she’s sleeping.

“As I was introduced, via books, to other worlds—from the Upper East Side of Manhattan to volcanic islands to rivers in the Canadian wilderness—my interest in writing and my skills as an editor and self-

At right, former teacher Lucille Blocksom, Curtis and husband Matt Carlson.

At far right, teacher Margaret Vitz with former teachers Bobbie Kuhn, Diana Hilligan, (background) Rachel Foster, and Annette Meader.

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editor were also developed. In second grade, we kept diaries, and one of the defining characteristics of being a Sittenfeld is that we never throw away a piece of paper. Therefore, I am pleased to be able to quote to you from the riveting activities of February 7, 1983: ‘Mrs. Gilson gave everybody a sticker. Mine was a crocodile. We are learning cursive. It is fun.’

“In third grade, my classmates and I were faithful practitioners of The Daily Edit, in which Mrs. Kuhn or Mrs. Stirsman would write a mistake-filled sentence on the chalkboard, we’d all copy it and correct it on our own in our notebooks, and then we’d compare corrections; the day I was the only student in the grade to realize that the pronoun ‘I’ should in fact have been the pronoun ‘me’ was one of the highlights of my life.

“And when I am asked, as I am now on a regular basis, how old I was when my interest in creative writing developed, the image that always comes to my mind is the afternoon in fourth grade when I stood in front of the class and read an epic short story I was working on about a man who was trying to surmount various obstacles to make it home to his family in time for Christmas. At one point I had the man walking one hundred miles in the wrong direction when Mrs. Carmichael delicately pointed out that he’d probably realize his mistake before the hundredth mile.

“In middle school, I conducted research to write in the first person voice of someone who’d been present at a historic event, and I suppose it reveals my lifelong weakness for anything pop cultural that my ‘historic event’ was the death of Elvis Presley, which I described from the perspective of a nurse at the hospital where he was taken after being found on the floor at Graceland.

“Middle school also offered me the opportunity to write a political speech when I ran for student council president at the end of seventh grade. I was the only female candidate up against several boys, meaning that during last year’s Presidential election, I’d watch the early debates among Democratic contenders and think, ‘Oh, Hillary, I know just what you’re going through.’ I did win the student council election, and the next fall one of my classmates, who shall go unnamed, unsuccessfully attempted to have me impeached. This person later went on to attend Harvard Law School, so I like to think I helped cultivate his early interest in legal matters.

“I was unable to locate the hundred-miles-in-the-wrong-direction story in the massive and terrifying Sittenfeld archives, but I did manage to find a piece of creative writing from the fall of third grade, in October 1983, which I’d like to share: “I am the famous movie star

Loretta Penguin. I live in New York with my crabby husband Ronald.

I came to New York in my private plane, The Penguin Express. I am a very delicate millionaire. That is one of my many problems. My other problems are: I get robbed a lot and I have a great many allergies.

But knowing me, I never complain.’

“I also located in the Sittenfeld archives two sets of teacher comments. The first are from Mrs. Kuhn in response to a report I wrote about my mother: ‘Dear Curtis, I am one of your most ardent fans. I love your report. What a lovely, natural talent you have for writing!

Your report is so interesting, I hated for it to end. And I’m just nuts about your mom. I admire her, too. Love, Mrs. Kuhn.’ With encouragement like that, how could I not become a novelist?

“The second set of comments were read by Mrs. Flanagan at my sixth grade graduation: ‘Curtis is an observer of people. She not only observes but writes. She could write advice to the lovelorn or a Miss Manners column. Her column will be called Curtiques from Curtis.

The class is already worried about the book she will write about her years at Lotspeich. Do you think she will include the story about her cleaning the bathroom walls and sinks with a toilet brush?’

“I could spend much longer recounting my experiences at Seven Hills—for any teachers I haven’t mentioned, please know that it’s not because I don’t vividly remember my time as your student—but I’ll wrap up my trip down memory lane with a line that my father, usually a progressive and enlightened man, convinced my sister Tiernan to use when she ran for eighth grade student council president. A speech should be like a girl’s skirt, Tiernan told her classmates, long enough to cover the essentials but short enough to keep the audience interested. As a sidenote, Tiernan did not win her class’s student council election, but she is now thriving as an environmental lobbyist in Washington, DC, where, pretty much without exception, she wears pantsuits.

“I’ll conclude tonight by noting that, in this age of ever more distractions, most of them technological, I feel increasingly grateful that I grew up in a time and place where I read and was read to from actual books with words and illustrations printed on pages and that I had the good fortune of attending a school where we were, to quote a popular album of my early youth, free to be you and me.

“To my family, my family friends here tonight, and my teachers, I thank you for the unrepayable gifts of your energy, patience, and kindness. It was a pleasure learning from all of you on my journey to becoming myself.”

At left, Janet Allen-Reid ’76, Shannon Kelly Carter H ’67, Betsy Sittenfeld.

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At far left, Patti Williams Niehoff C ’74, Head of School Chris Garten, Board Chair Jane Garvey C ’74, John Steele.

“Just Another Day” at Emmy-winning Best Comedy 30 Rock

By Brit Cowan ’03 “Hey, how’s your back today?” Tina Fey jokes with me because I spent much of the previous afternoon giving her four-yearold daughter piggyback rides around the dressing rooms. My film studies degree from Columbia University is less helpful than my experience as a preschool teacher in college. In three seasons at NBC’s 30 Rock, I have worked as a researcher, a director’s assistant, a production assistant both on set and in the office, and even as the monkey PA (the assistant to the gibbon that starred in an episode). The job is exhausting, frustrating at times, and not in the least bit glamorous. But who can complain when you work for the three-time Emmy winner for Best Comedy on television?

The 7 train provides an amazing view of the city as it comes above ground in Queens. It passes Silvercup Studios, the former bread factory turned sound stages where we recreate Rockefeller Center. This morning I am fortunate enough to see the sunrise reflected in the skyscraper windows of Manhattan. Usually both directions of my commute are in the dark. I arrive at 6:30am, make myself a strong cup of coffee, and grab some breakfast from the catering truck outside. But before I can take one bite of my blueberry pancakes, Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski have arrived and I have work to do. By the time they are in hair and makeup, my breakfast is cold but I eat it anyway.

Today is a particularly busy day at Silvercup, as we fight for space with Gossip Girl and Sex and the City 2. I spend my day running back and forth from the dressing rooms to set, getting actors dressed and through hair and makeup, making sure they’re happy and know what scene we’re filming. I read the new script for the next episode in two to three page intervals when I have moments of downtime. It takes five or six days

to shoot an episode, so one is always being prepped while the other one shoots.

There is a table read at lunch, when all the actors read the script out loud for the first time, and my Seven Hills education comes in handy when I’m the only one laughing at a Max Weber joke because Turansky made us read in AP European History what half the writers read at Harvard.

Brit with guest star Kimba.

I have wanted to be a writer since I wrote a screenplay for my Challenge project, and the table reads are my opportunity to see the professionals in action. I peek over their shoulders as they cross out jokes that didn’t work and make notes on things that got big laughs.

After lunch the producer hands me his backpack and a camera. Inside is his Emmy statue. Yes, I’m carrying an Emmy in a backpack. I go around to the crew so everyone can take a picture with it, and we spend the afternoon striking funny poses with the statue. When you work 70 to 80 hours a week with people, they become your family, and working in comedy, there is no shortage of funny people on the crew.

Last shot of the night is at 8:37pm, and I have another 45 minutes of work before I can go home. We are on location in Rockefeller Plaza tomorrow. Every day is different, so I am never bored. I work long hours, mostly on my feet, and I always have someone talking to me through the walkie-talkie in my ear. But it’s fun. It has to be.

“Do some stretches, your buddy will be back tomorrow,” Tina says as she gets into her car. Just another day at the office.

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7Hills Road Show Visits DC

Chris Garten, Wendy Gradison H ’71, Julia Jones Zawatsky H ’71.

It was a warm, fall October night on Thursday, October 22, when the 7Hills Road Show hosted a dinner for our DC area alums at Sesto Senso. Head of School Chris Garten and Director of Alumni Relations Nancy McCormick Bassett ’83 welcomed alums ranging in years from Hillsdale and Lotspeich 1954 to Seven Hills 2005.

It was a great group who exchanged names, professions and memories of their time at school thoughout the evening.

In addition to those pictured, Benjamin van der Horst ’05, Jeremy Faust ’97, Livezey Hickenlooper More C ’61 and John More were also at the dinner and did a good job of avoiding the camera.

On Saturday, October 24, Nancy Bassett met with a group of young alums to discuss the Young Alumni Challenge with Cincinnati Country Day and the Young Alumni program in general. Thanks to Benjamin van der Horst ’05, Heidi Black ’98, Chris Wyant ’01 and Tom Kiefhaber ’01 for your input.

Heidi Black ’98, Hannah Bloch ’80, Sarah McHugh ’03; Michelle Lease, Darryl Price ’85; Brooks Allgood Armandroff ’84, Dean Armandroff.

Margaret Stewart ’83, Nancy McCormick Bassett ’83, Brooks Allgood Armandroff ’84; Jason Goldman ’91, Marc Shotten ’92; Joan Hinsch Searby H ’54, Judy Frieder Starrels L ’54, John Starrels.

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Alumna Profile: Mary Ann McIlwain Dodson H ’49 A Lifelong Lover of Science

By Susanna Max, Acting Director of Marketing and Campaign Officer From the moment I met Mary Ann Dodson, Hillsdale Class of 1949, I was immediately drawn to her energy, her obvious passion for life and her quick-witted sense of humor. Yet, it didn’t take long to realize that she also carries an enthusiastic love for learning. Combining that love of learning with a desire to act charitably, Mary Ann has spent her life tirelessly passing on knowledge to hundreds of young children.

In El Paso, TX in 1975, Mary Ann joined with nine other women to found Insights Science Museum. What first started in the basement of the local El Paso electric company is now a thriving community science museum for children of all ages.

Insights regularly welcomes exhibits ranging from dinosaurs to the new, 3500-square-foot exhibit recently on display, “Giant Worlds: A Voyage to the Outer Solar System.” The museum also hosts science camps and special hands-on classes for local public schools. Insights now resides in a freestanding building near El Paso’s city hall and the El Paso Museum of Art. “I came up with the name Insights because I had such a strong desire to bring insight into knowledge,” said Mary Ann. “The key is our icon because it symbolizes our efforts to unlock the key to knowledge. I wanted every single aspect of this museum to be a learning experience.”

Susanna Max and Mary Ann Dodson at Insights Science Museum.

bining Mrs. Brand’s teaching style with her parents’ efforts to introduce her to art, it’s no wonder Mary Ann went on to found such a fantastic science museum.

Mary Ann credits her love of the sciences to her experiences at Lotspeich and Hillsdale and her fifth grade Lotspeich teacher, Mrs. Lulu Brand.

“At Hillsdale, I learned ‘he who wants to, can,’” said Mary Ann. “I’ve taken that motto with me all the days of my life and have tried to instill it in my own children, as well.”

“Mary Ann came to Lotspeich in the fifth grade after attending public school for several years. Mrs. Brand took the children to the local museum on occasional Saturdays and taught science in such a hands-on way, Mary Ann says the students couldn’t help but fall in love with the subject. Com-

Mary Ann’s charitable side did not stop with Insights Science Museum. She and her late husband also helped to found a YWCA Science Camp in El Paso that offers 50 children a yearly chance to make rockets and experience nature. She’s also been involved in the El Paso Symphony and the El Paso Women’s Department of the Chamber of Commerce. For years she and her late husband loved to travel and on their 50th wedding anniversary they gave each other a trip around the world.

It’s obvious that Mary Ann Dodson’s heart is enormous, but so is her love of the sciences. Her passion for learning is absolutely contagious.

In my recent visit with her, she said in the most humble way, “The most exciting thing in the world is to learn.”

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V V V V V We send our condolences to those who lost loved ones and friends, as reported in this issue.

1935

Margaret Palmer Keeler (L, H) was the daughter of one of the founders of Hillsdale, Florence Palmer, and Peggy was one of Hillsdale’s most loyal alumnae. Peggy died October 27 at her home in Dorset, VT. Her parents were active in the early life of Hillsdale School, and Peggy remained interested in The Seven Hills School throughout her life. She loved traveling, and she was an expert gardener. Her family loved “her spirit, her generosity, and even her stubbornness.”

1946

Jean Pierre “John Peter” Williams (L) (San Jose, CA) writes, “From January 1942 to May 1945 (grades 2–5), I attended Lotspeich School. I have many very good memories of the school; the best of which were of Mrs. Helen Lotspeich, an outstanding teacher (fifth grade) and principal (great morning assemblies)…I would have graduated from sixth grade with the class of 1946 but returned to France with my family in 1945.”

1949

Margaret Gatch Griess (H) (Cincinnati) died on September 14, 2009.

Alumni News

1952

Kathleen Huwe Quinn (H) (Montpelier, VT) passed away on February 23, 2009. A memorial garden was dedicated to her on Mother’s Day at her daughter Sarah Munro’s house in Montpelier, VT.

1956

Marcia Knoll Forde (H) (Concorde, MA) emailed, “I have moved back to Concord, MA, after living on Martha’s Vineyard since 1995. I’m back in the house I have owned since 1968. I just returned from a wonderful 10-day cruise on the Island Princess with Carol Wachs Kirby (H ’56). We visited Aruba, Cartegena Columbia Panama Canal, Limon Costa Rica and Ocho Rios Jamaica. A most enjoyable time.”

Carolyn Huwe Ludwig (H) (Cincinnati) emailed, “Soon we will be going out to see Michael (’86) to celebrate Grandparents Day at Bear Creek School where his children Zoe (13) and Price (11) are studying. Chris (’84) ran in a marathon on October 16 in Massachusetts. He lives in Maynard with his wife Jennie, son Max (8) and daughter Phoebe (5).”

1959

Peter Breidenbach (L) (St. Augustine, FL) writes, “I reunited with the love of my life this past January after an absence of 42 years. A Cincinnatian,

The Seven Hills School Alumni Art Show Cocktails and Light Buffet Friday, May 7, 2010 Hillsdale Commons and Deck Hillsdale Campus Work featured by the Alumni of CPS, Hillsdale, Lotspeich and Seven Hills Invitations will be mailed in March

Barbara Jane Fuller Cherry (H ’67) (Annandale, VA) emailed, “For our 60th birthdays Robin Smith Armstrong (H ’67) and I (and husbands John and Russ) took a trip to Eastern Europe in August that included Prague, a Danube Cruise through Germany and Austria, and Budapest. It was a great time with great food and company. Robin and I rode on a 100-year-old Ferris wheel in Vienna. Russ and John were in the park below while we were on the Ferris wheel.” she grew up as Barbara Schott, daughter of Police Chief Jacob W. Schott and his wife Dollie. I have joined her and now reside in St. Augustine, FL. Barbara has three grandchildren by her two sons, Stewart and Aaron. Our relationship picked up as if 42 years hadn’t happened. My biggest adjustment has been the heat and humidity—thank God for air conditioning!”

Best wishes!

1961

Sarah Ann Riesenbeck Stein (H) (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) died on May 30, 2009.

Exhibiting Artists To Date Sally Elder Kamholtz H ’71 Robin Attee Adams H ’73 Deb Muntz Krehbiel C ’70 Louise Knauft Allen H ’54 Tuck Krehbiel L ’63 Janet Fast Andress H ’46 Barbara Guthridge Landen H ’62 Lisa Lillard Caldwell H ’72 Emily Krehbiel Lewis H ’70 Muff Lamson Carothers H ’69 Saunie McNeill ’85 Susan Siddall Castleberry H ’51 Joan Krehbiel Montezemolo H ‘59 Lindsay Degen ’06 Murray Monroe Jr. ’84 Carolyn Stegner Fabe H ’70 Larry Pauly ’79 Ellie Fabe ’78 Dede Lewis Rowe ’78 Sarah-Margaret Gibson ’07 Elizabeth Stoehr ’82 Margaret Randolph Foote Haffner Connie Castleberry Sullivan H ’52 C ’60 Martha Valentine ’05 Louise Atkins Head H ’56 Margot Wood ’04 Susan Krehbiel Holzapfel H ’65

Seventh Grade Atmospheric Perspective Murals. See the full painting and 37 others in the Andress Art Gallery and Upper School.

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V V V V V V V V V V V V V 1982

Elizabeth Stoehr (Cincinnati) gave a lecture at the Cincinnati Art Museum’s Women’s Committee meeting and luncheon on November 23. Elizabeth works in mixed media, creating landscapes and nature studies as her main focus.

She describes herself an an expressionist and/or abstract artist. She also does sculpture. Thanks to former Admission Director Marilyn Collins for the news.

1986

Kiki Magazine, which targets preteen and young teen girls, founded and published by Jamie Gleich Bryant (Cincinnati), has a new and updated website.

The site has a fresh, new look and webonly exclusives, including games, quizzes and how-to projects. www.kikimag. com Hyde Park Living reported Diego Vallota’s (Cincinnati) new position as Vice President and Wealth Manager with J.P. Morgan in the Kenwood, OH, office.

According to the article, “In his new role, he will be advising high-net-worth clients in the area on their investment management, banking, financial and wealth transfer needs. He has been a member of the financial services industry for over 15 years.”

honoring all those who participated in this event across the country.” Congratulations!

1992

Congratulations to Tina Kummerle (Cincinnati) and Jan Kielmann on their marriage and their daughter Lily, who was born on May 10, 2008.

1993

Elizabeth Deubell (Columbus, OH) is doing the illustrations for a regional field guide for trees, shrubs, and vines found in northeastern North America (US and Canada). The author is Professor James S. Fralish of Southern Illinois University. For a look at the wide range of Elizabeth’s artwork from band art to greeting cards, go to deubellzebub.com.

1995

1989

Andy Paris (New York, NY) emailed, “THE LARAMIE PROJECT: 10 YEARS LATER, a play I co-wrote and in which I performed, had a reading at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center on October 12. It was a fundraiser hosted by Glenn Close, and Judy Shepard spoke as well.

“The play is written from interviews I did in Laramie, WY, with my colleagues at Tectonic Theater Project in the past year, surrounding the 10th Remembrance of Matthew Shepard’s death. There were readings of the play happening simultaneously in over 150 theatres all over the world. More information can be found at www.tectonictheaterproject.org and laramieproject. org.

“I am happy to report that, because of all the readings happening and the sheer numbers of people involved, there was a Resolution put forth on the floor of the US House of Representatives

Congratulations to Meridith Oberklein Spille (Cincinnati) and her husband Tim on the birth of Matthew Jenson on September 21, 2009.

Congratulations to Tiffany Hines (Los Angeles, CA) on her appearance on Bones on the FOX network on October 1, 2009.

1996

Congratulations to Joe Kraeutler (New York, NY) on becoming a partner in HASTED HUNT KRAEUTLER. HASTED HUNT represents an international range of award winning, published contemporary artists shows.

The press release states, “Sarah Hasted and W.M. Hunt are delighted

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to welcome Joseph Kraeutler as a new partner. His extensive knowledge of vintage and contemporary photography, as well as the secondary market, will expand HASTED HUNT KRAEUTLER’s outreach and programming to feature rare but important works and specially curated exhibitions.

“Joseph Kraeutler has most recently been Managing Director of Klever Holdings, where he handled its substantial art holdings and negotiated private treaty sales on behalf of a select group of clients. Prior to that he was New York Director of Photographs with Phillips de Pury & Company. He began his career in New York at Janet Borden, Inc. after finishing degrees in art and business.”

1998

Lisa Barrett (San Francisco, CA) emailed, “As you know, teaching in an urban school changed my life. It changed my perspective on what inequality and injustice mean: Being able to be in fifth grade and not knowing all of your letters; internalizing the idea that you’re stupid—when you are eight years old; not feeling safe in school every day or like it matters if you even show up. What I saw as a teacher solidified my belief that all kids can learn, and all kids deserve great teachers—and my commitment to being part of the solution.

“Now I am working to ensure that kids across Phoenix have access to great teachers, regardless of their zip code, where they were born, or the education level of their parents. Please help us spread the word about Phoenix Teaching Fellows: An opportunity to effect real change—now—by teaching students in Phoenix’s most challenged public schools.

“The Phoenix Teaching Fellows program is looking for accomplished and talented mid-career professionals and recent college graduates to teach and make a measurable difference with Phoenix’s students. Take a few minutes to think of the people you know who could translate their previous accomplishments into success as a classroom teacher and please forward the following information to these individuals: 602-353-5165 www.PhoenixTeachingFellows.org

V V V V V 2001

Congratulations to Andrew Simpson (Arlington, VA) on his marriage to Kara Lord on September 26, 2009.

2002

Jill Donenfeld (Malibu, CA) emailed, “The Dish’s Dish is officially bicoastal!

We are now servicing New York and LA (and the Hamptons and Malibu too).”

2004

Olga Krayterman was the featured pianist at a concert September 12 at the United Methodist Church of the Savior in Montgomery. The concert was part of the Dorothy Stolzenbach Payne Concert Series. Assistant Head of School Susan Marrs, who attended the concert, said “The last time I heard Olga play, she was in high school, and she was already an amazing pianist. Now she’s jawdroppingly powerful and professional.

Her music fills your heart.”

2005

Brian Hepp (Los Angeles, CA) emailed, “I am loving it out here. My internship with a film production company turned into an actual job last week and I’m really getting to know the industry. The company is called Natural Selection. My job consists of a few different things...

Internet work for the company website, music supervision (picking music for film and TV), and lots of script reading. So far I have enjoyed reading and discussing scripts the most because it feels like I am truly a member of the creative team in terms of picking what project we want to work on, how the story can bring in money, how it can be improved, what audience it targets, what actor should play the role—the list goes on! My office is right on the Sunset Strip in between the Whisky A Go Go and the Roxy—two very famous LA music clubs. Not too many celebrity sightings yet, but I saw Goldie Hawn at a theatre and the rapper/actor with the huge hair from Kid N Play is a regular at my favorite bar. A special hello to the Class of 2005.”

Alumni News

one of China’s premier institutions for teaching Chinese language and culture to foreigners. He is there under the auspices of the Alliance for Global Education. At Denison he is a double major in East Asian Studies-Chinese and Environmental Studies. He continues his Chinese language training, begun last year, but he is also taking classes in Chinese Film, China and the Environment, and Chinese Sociology.

The latter two are taught by visiting professors from Cornell.

Thomas was already a senior when Seven Hills’ China program began and is now glad that he can fulfill this dream of studying in China.

2009

Parent Fran Tesmond emailed an update on Matt (Walla Walla, Washington), who is “absolutely loving Whitman, has joined a frat and is very involved in a number of extracurricular activities. The tennis team is his second family. He is sporting his first broken bone ever—a triple break in his ring finger from a bad block in intramural football.”

Congratulations to Chelsea Zesch (New Orleans, LA) for all of her photo credits in The Tulane Hullabaloo.

Chelsea is a staff photographer on the newspaper. Thanks to Upper faculty

member Barbara Hepp for the news.

Congratulations to Steven Young (Los Angeles, CA), who has achieved Eagle Scout status. Per an update from his mom Mary Beth, “He is doing well at USC, even joining the ‘Spirit of Troy,’ the marching band. His first marching experience was in September at the first football game. He is enjoying school and has great suitemates. In fact, his roommate is also an Eagle Scout from Missouri and one of his suitemates is in the band as well.”

Marriages Tina Kummerle ’92 to Jan Kielmann Andrew Simpson ’01 to Kara Lord Births Tina Kummerle ’92—Lily Meridith Oberklein Spille ’95— Matthew Jenson Deaths Margaret Palmer Keeler H ’35 Margaret Gatch Griess H ’49 Kathleen Huwe Quinn H ’52 Sarah Ann Riesenbeck Stein H ’61

2007

Thomas Schultz (Beijing) is a junior at Denison University and currently studying at the Beijing Language and Cultural University in Beijing, China. BLCU is

David Koenig ’09 has had special visitors to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD—Fran Chatfield ’10 and sister Julie ’09.

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Young Alumni Challenge: Seven Hills vs.

Country Day

Some of the alumni on the Seven Hills team October 29 were (at top, from left), David Levy ’99, Richie Hutchins ’98, Steve Newman ’02; Liz Okin ’00, Rachel Gustin ’93; (at left) John Bloch ’03 and Amelia Crace ’03.

The 7Hills Young Alumni Board challenged Cincinnati Country Day’s young alums to an Annual Giving fund participation challenge. The school with the highest percentage of young alums giving to their 2009-2010 Annual Fund will win bragging rights.

7Hills and Country Day held our first combined young alumni phonathon on October 29 at the Paul Brown Stadium—a good time was had by all. The Marvin Lewis Foundation was holding its annual Football 101 fundraiser on the field, adding to the festive atmosphere.

A 7Hills and CCDS party to announce the winning school is scheduled for June 17 at the American Sign Museum—more details to come later. Go 7Hills!

Seven Hills Holiday Celebration For Classes 1989-2009

Reunion Is Moving to the Fall

Sponsored by the Young Alumni Board

Saturday, December 26, 5-7pm The Redmoor 3187 Linwood Ave, 45208 Mt. Lookout 7Hills provides the food and The Redmoor provides the special prices

Reunion 2010 will be October 8 & 9, 2010, for CPS, Hillsdale, and Seven Hills classes ending in 0 and 5 and for Lotspeich classes ending in 4 and 9.

Nancy Bassett ‘83, Director of Alumni Relations nancy.bassett@7hills.org, 513-272-5354 Please respond by December 19 Guests are welcome

Reunion reps are needed. Please contact Nancy McCormick Bassett for more details.

513-272-5354 nancy.bassett@7hills.org.

7Hills Raffle

Prizes include Xavier basketball tickets, gift certificates to Arthur’s, Nada, Teak, Celestial, 7Hills items and more.

All raffle money counts as your Annual Giving gift and helps in the competition to beat Country Day! Raffle tickets are $5 each.

Please notify us of address changes alumni.news@7hills.org 513-272-5340 40

Young alums in the Boston area got together at the home of former Interim Head of School Todd Bland and his family. It was a terrific reunion!

(Front row) Laura Hoguet ’06, Sarah Rabourn ’09, Maggie Bland, Emily Bland; (middle row) Sam Laber ’08, Doug Wulsin ’09, Tarra Williamson ’08, Louise Head ’09; (back row) Nancy Bland, Todd Bland, Alex Mannion ’07, Jeff Prevost ’08, Seth Rau ’08, Kaylyn Williamson ’07, Sarah Eustis ’07, Nick Bland.

The presents will be put away and the holiday leftovers will be finished. Join us for the action whether you come to play or to cheer!

5th Annual Alumni-Varsity Basketball Games Sunday, December 27 Girls 6:00pm; Guys 7:30pm Kalnow Gym, Hillsdale Campus

2009-2010 Winter Calendar Saturday, December 26

Holiday Party for Classes 1989-2009 5:00-7:00pm The Redmoor 3187 Linwood Avenue, Mt. Lookout

Sunday, December 27

Alumni/Varsity Basketball Games 6:00pm Girls, 7:30pm Guys Kalnow Gym, Hillsdale Campus

Tuesday, January 26

7Hills visits Winter Park 12:30pm Spice Modern Steakhouse 3226 South Park Avenue

Wednesday, January 27

7Hills visits Vero Beach 12:00pm The Ocean Grill 1050 Sexton Plaza

Tuesday, February 23

7Hills visits Los Angeles 6:00pm Enoteca Drago 410 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills

Thursday, February 25

7Hills visits San Francisco 6:00pm Marnee Thai 1243 9th Avenue

Thursday, April 22

7Hills visits Boston At the home of Lidney Motch Luczkow ‘89

Friday, May 7

Alumni Art Show 6:00-8:00pm Commons and Deck, Hillsdale Campus

Concessions will be available.

Start conditioning, stretching and working on your slam-dunk.

We want to see you courtside!

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Soccer photos by Keith Neu

Sarah Leyman ’07 and Karen Moebius ’05 represented the alumnae players at the alum-varsity soccer games on August 16.

Thirteenth Annual Alumni-Varsity Soccer Games and . . .

Lennie Cottrell ’08, John Bloch ’03, Cooper Sawyer ’06, Richard Fink ’07, Gabe Kalubi ’06, David Hummel ’85, Jonathan Hawgood ’87, Howard Konicov ’84, Max Schimberg ’09; Zach Nacev ’09, Scott Whitehead ’99, Peter Dumbadze ’06, Pat McGrath ’05, Michael Fink ’09, Milan Vinks ’09, David Leonard ’09, Ryan Miller ’09, Luke White ’08, Gavin Tabor ’05, David Schuh ’03, Sean Donovan ’91, Avery Leslie ’06, Jon Clemons ’97, Will Beaver ’97, former coach Brocky Brown.

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Amy Betts ’07, Jordan Paulsen ’09, Sydney Clark ’08, Kristen Snyder ’01, Keri Betts ’05.

. . . First Annual Alumni-Varsity Volleyball Game

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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 9695 Cincinnati, Ohio

5400 Red Bank Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45227-1198

The Seven Hills School’s 24th Annual

Books for Lunch Proudly Presents

Anchee Min Anchee Min’s writing has been praised for its raw, sharp language and historical accuracy. Her bestselling memoir, Red Azalea, the story of her childhood in Communist China, has been compared to The Diary of Anne Frank.

Min credits English with giving her a means to express herself, arming her with the voice and vocabulary to write about growing up during China’s Cultural Revolution. “There was no way for me to describe those experiences or talk about those feelings in Chinese,” she has said of a language too burdened by Maoist rhetoric.

Now a U.S. citizen and the celebrated author of several works of historical fiction, she writes candidly about events she was once encouraged to bury. Min talks about her life, from toiling in the cotton fields, to being used as the perfect proletarian worker in propaganda films, to her struggle to leave China for the freedom of the United States.

Her works of historical fiction, including Becoming Madame Mao and The Last Empress, have led both critics and writers to praise her work, calling it “historical fiction of the first order.” The New York Times has called her “a wild, passionate and fearless American writer.”

Lecture Luncheon & Book Signing

Wednesday, Feb. 3, 11:00 AM Cintas Center at Xavier University

Dinner with Anchee Min Tuesday, Feb. 2, 6:30 PM at the Hyde Park home of Anne and Jim Shanahan

For more information, see page 21 of this issue. Invitations will be mailed in December.

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